Polio News and Research

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Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. Naturally occurring polio was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979 and in the Western Hemisphere by 1991; however, worldwide efforts are continuing towards eradication of this contagious and devastating disease.

Egypt achieves milestone in eliminating trachoma as a public health problem

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that Egypt has successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, marking a historic public health milestone for the country and WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO EMR). It is the seventh country in WHO EMR to achieve this milestone.

12 Nov 2025

Immigrants with health conditions may be denied visas under new Trump administration guidance

Foreigners seeking visas to live in the U.S. might be rejected if they have certain medical conditions, including diabetes or obesity, under a Thursday directive from the Trump administration.

6 Nov 2025

Doctors muffled as Florida moves to end decades of childhood vaccination mandates

Florida plans to end nearly a half-century of required childhood immunizations against diseases that have killed and maimed millions of children. Many critics of the decision, including doctors, are afraid to speak up against it.

27 Oct 2025

Unveiling the dual role of HIV integrase in viral replication

The rate of HIV infection continues to climb globally. Around 40 million people live with HIV-1, the most common HIV strain.

24 Oct 2025

PAHO celebrates over three decades without polio in the Americas

World Polio Day (October 24), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) celebrates over three decades without wild poliovirus cases in the Americas.

23 Oct 2025

Report maps vaccination's comprehensive benefits for health and economy

A new Gerontological Society of America report, "Concentric Value of Vaccination: Intersecting Health, Economic, and Societal Benefits," provides evidence on the advantages of immunization for individual and population health, economic outcomes, and societal well-being.

22 Oct 2025

Study: Polio vaccination efforts must not wane

October 24 marks World Polio Day. The vaccination against poliomyelitis is considered one of the greatest achievements in preventive medicine.

21 Oct 2025

PAHO introduces new tool to accelerate disease elimination in the Americas

During a briefing session at the 62nd Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), officials presented a new technical tool to help countries in the Region of the Americas accelerate the elimination of more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions.

6 Oct 2025

$Kennedy’s take on vaccine science fractures cohesive national public health strategies$

Kennedy’s take on vaccine science fractures cohesive national public health strategies

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has had a busy few months. He fired the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, purged the agency's vaccine advisory committee, and included among the group's new members appointees who espouse anti-vaccine views.

19 Sep 2025

ISSCR expresses concern over NIH decision on fetal tissue research funding

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the largest professional organization of stem cell researchers from around the world, is concerned about a recent statement attributed to NIH that the agency will not renew research grants involving human fetal tissue (HFT), and that research with HFT is not conducted responsibly or transparently.

13 Sep 2025

Specific microbial changes linked to poor growth in children

Malnutrition is responsible for more than half of all deaths in children under the age of five worldwide.

10 Sep 2025

Discovery of mitochondrial microprotein opens path to obesity and aging therapies

Like bees breathing life into gardens, providing pollen and making flowers blossom, little cellular machines called mitochondria breathe life into our bodies, buzzing with energy as they produce the fuel that powers each of our cells.

29 Aug 2025

‘Alternative facts’ aren’t a reason to skip vaccines

President Donald Trump's administrations have been notorious for an array of "alternative facts" — ranging from the relatively minor (the size of inaugural crowds) to threats to U.S. democracy, such as who really won the 2020 election.

14 Aug 2025

Childhood and adolescent immunizations decline in Michigan, study shows

Routine childhood and adolescent immunizations declined in Michigan between 2017 and 2023, particularly among counties with lower household income and higher uninsurance rates, a new study suggests.

11 Aug 2025

CRISPR screening uncovers microproteins involved in fat storage

The obesity rate has more than doubled in the last 30 years, affecting more than one billion people worldwide.

7 Aug 2025

Immune surveillance in children sheds light on virus rebound after COVID

The first paper from a multi-year clinical research study has been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases: Dynamics of Endemic Virus Re-emergence in Children in the USA Following the COVID-19 Pandemic (2022-2023): A Longitudinal Immunoepidemiologic Surveillance Study and demonstrates how the approach can improve modeling to better predict future outbreaks.

7 Aug 2025

Children show delayed exposure to respiratory viruses after COVID restrictions

COVID-19 prevention methods such as masking and social distancing also suppressed the circulation of common respiratory diseases, leaving young children lacking immunity to pathogens they otherwise would have been exposed to, a new multi-center clinical research study reveals.

6 Aug 2025

Salk Institute's ShortStop revolutionizes genetic search

Proteins sustain life as we know it, serving many important structural and functional roles throughout the body. But these large molecules have cast a long shadow over a smaller subclass of proteins called microproteins.

1 Aug 2025

Wastewater surveillance for detecting COVID-19 offers early warning and cost savings

Wastewater surveillance at treatment plants offers a low-cost, early warning method for detecting COVID-19. Researchers in Japan conducted an economic evaluation of a system for long-term care facilities that combines wastewater data with clinical testing thresholds to guide timely interventions.

30 Jul 2025