We are so close to eradicating polio – the UK cannot afford to let progress slip
B.Polio by its nature spreads easily across national borders. It travels silently, often undetected, between communities and across continents. A lack of vaccination coverage, a delay in surveillance, or a breakdown in health systems could allow the virus to regain a foothold and from there spread at an alarming rate, especially in immunocompromised communities. This makes polio not just a local or national problem, but an international problem that requires constant global coordination and solidarity.
Most importantly, the world is now in what is often described as the “end game” of polio eradication. After decades of coordinated international aid efforts, there has been a dramatic drop in cases of nearly 99 percent. This is achieved by vaccinating hundreds of millions of children each year, many through the most fragile and under-resourced health systems in the world. This is an epic achievement, and we are tantalizingly close to ending polio once and for all. But this last part is also the most fragile. As case numbers fall, systems designed to detect and respond to outbreaks may falter or shrink, while memories of lived experiences with the disease fade and complacency begins to set in. It is precisely at this moment, when we feel that success is within our grasp, that the risk of regression is highest.
That’s why the UK government’s decision to completely cut funding to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), just as a case of polio was detected in London’s wastewater, is so dangerous. The United Kingdom has historically been one of the largest government backers of the initiative, along with the United States and other G7 countries.
GPEI currently has a significant funding gap, with an estimated $400 million gap threatening eradication efforts. The UK’s decision to withdraw funding from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative reverses the course we set: rather than helping to close the gap, it risks widening it. This not only poses an obstacle to global polio eradication efforts; It also sends absolutely the wrong signal to the world about the value we place on this vital endeavor for the health of others and the health security of all, and the leadership role the UK sees for itself on this international stage.
This has direct consequences for England. As long as polio exists elsewhere in the world, its reemergence here remains possible. The polio case in London in 2022 showed exactly how this could happen, as the virus spreads among immunocompromised communities. It also showed how costly and complex the response could be. Containing local transmission in London required a significant, resource-intensive response, including enhanced surveillance and targeted vaccination campaigns to prevent further spread.
Reducing support for elimination globally would be another setback. Continued circulation and increasing outbreaks abroad mean there remain opportunities for the virus to reach the UK, particularly among populations where vaccine uptake is low. In this sense, cutting funding for polio and many other international health priorities (especially pandemic preparedness and the health systems of low-income, high-disease burden countries) does not save money in the long run; it shifts the burden but accumulates the risk of costly domestic intervention.
The reemergence of polio should serve as a wake-up call. It reminds us that progress is fragile, diseases can return, and our health security is deeply interconnected with the rest of the world. The finish line is on the horizon, but reaching it will require renewed determination, not retreat.
Timothy Hallett is professor of global health at Imperial College London’s School of Public Health.
This article was produced as part of The Independent. Rethinking Global Aid project
