Poliomyelitis News and Research

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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

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

Gaps in surveillance leave European children at risk of acute flaccid myelitis

European researchers surveyed 28 countries and found acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) remains underreported, with only Norway maintaining dedicated surveillance. Most AFM cases coincided with years of high enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) circulation, highlighting gaps in monitoring and preparedness.

2 Jun 2025

Genetic discovery sheds light on infection-triggered neuropathy

Neuropathy, a disorder in which damage to nerves can impair sensation and movement, has many causes, including infection.

25 May 2025

Measles could return to endemic status if US vaccination rates fall further

Declining childhood vaccination rates in the United States could lead to a resurgence of measles and other previously eliminated infectious diseases. Simulation models predict that even current vaccination rates may be insufficient to prevent measles from becoming endemic within 20–25 years.

27 Apr 2025

Many polio survivors face lifelong late effects

Polio survivors facing the little-known late effects of the disease are being overlooked, writes Neena Bhandari.

23 Oct 2024

New research network focuses on high-priority viruses

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has established a pandemic preparedness research network to conduct research on high-priority pathogens most likely to threaten human health with the goal of developing effective vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. Currently, many of the diseases caused by these pathogens have no available vaccines or therapeutics, and investing in this research is key to preparing for potential public health crises - both in the United States and around the world. NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) expects to commit approximately $100 million per year to fund the program, pending the availability of funds.

14 Sep 2024

Rare but real: The neurological risks associated with vaccines

Review highlights the rare neurological risks associated with vaccination, emphasizing the importance of accurate detection and management strategies, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

9 Aug 2024

50 years of lifesaving vaccinations: WHO's EPI saves 154 million lives

The World Health Organization’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) has prevented 154 million deaths since 1974, significantly reducing global infant mortality and contributing 10.2 billion years of healthy life due to vaccinations.

7 May 2024

Expert warns of the continuous dangers posed by polio and other enteroviruses

Consistently high vaccination rates and global health surveillance programs have helped eliminate poliomyelitis (polio) in almost all countries of the world, except Afghanistan and Pakistan.

28 Apr 2024

The association between viral infections and glioma risk

The causal relationship between viral infection and glioma.

7 Dec 2023

Inactivated poliovirus vaccine elicits persistent immunity for up to 10 years

The neutralizing antibodies persistence of the Sabin strain-derived inactivated poliovirus vaccine.

19 Sep 2023

New technique cuts polio detection time in half

New research supported by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has shown that the time to detect polio can be halved using a technique called Direct molecular Detection and Nanopore Sequencing (DDNS), supporting the global effort to eradicate polio and help save lives.

21 Aug 2023

DDNS technique could reduce the time to detect polio, study shows

A new study, 'Sensitive poliovirus detection using nested PCR and nanopore sequencing: a prospective validation study', published today (17 August 2023) in Nature Microbiology, proves that using DDNS to detect polio outbreaks can save public health authorities crucial time and money.

18 Aug 2023

Montana considers new wave of legislation to loosen vaccination rules

When Deb Horning's youngest daughter was 5, she got her measles, mumps, and rubella shot like many other kindergartners. But unlike many other moms, Horning had to stay away from her daughter for a week after the shot.

10 Mar 2023

Study shows vaccine-derived poliovirus in infant with severe immunodeficiency

Researchers identified type 3 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) in an infant.

13 Sep 2022

Exploring a paralytic poliomyelitis case in an unvaccinated person

Researchers investigated the public health response to a paralytic poliomyelitis case in an unvaccinated person.

19 Aug 2022

The effect of immunization with bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine on the incidence of COVID-19

Researchers evaluated the impact of the OPV on the incidence of COVID-19.

23 Jun 2022

Addressing parents' hesitancy to vaccinate their children against COVID

Researchers examine notable risk factors related to vaccine hesitancy among parents.

23 Jun 2022

New evidence confirms that enterovirus D68 causes acute flaccid myelitis

A case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides evidence that enterovirus D68 directly infects spinal cord neurons and that a corresponding robust immune response is present – a direct causation to the polio-like paralyzing illness, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM).

26 May 2022