A Troubling Decline: Polio Vaccination Rates in Europe and Central Asia
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns over a significant drop in polio vaccination rates across Europe and Central Asia. This decline leaves approximately 450,000 infants exposed to the highly contagious poliomyelitis virus, commonly known as polio.
Polio, a disease that once paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children annually worldwide, has been largely eradicated thanks to extensive vaccination campaigns. However, the recent drop in vaccination rates threatens to reverse this progress.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recommends a vaccination rate of at least 90% to prevent the spread of poliovirus. Europe, which includes 53 countries in the WHO's European region, witnessed a polio vaccination rate of 93% in 2024, the lowest since 2017. This decline is particularly concerning as it coincides with a broader decrease in routine childhood immunizations.
Some countries within the region have even lower coverage rates. For instance, Romania reported a vaccination rate of only 79% for the third dose of the poliovirus vaccine last year.
While Europe has been polio-free since 2002, the detection of poliovirus in the sewage of six European countries since last autumn serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat. The most recent detection was in Germany in September 2025, with other countries including Finland, Israel, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom also reporting traces of the virus.
Despite high vaccination rates in these countries, public health experts warn that pockets of unvaccinated individuals create opportunities for the virus to establish a foothold. "Gaps in immunisation coverage leave children vulnerable and present a health security risk to our region and beyond," stated Ihor Perehinets, who leads health security efforts for WHO's Europe office.
ECDC estimates suggest that approximately 600,000 one- and two-year-olds may have missed out on a complete course of polio vaccination in 2022 and 2023. This gap in coverage could potentially lead to a resurgence of the disease.
Poliovirus remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, highlighting the constant risk of imported cases and potential spread among unvaccinated populations in Europe.
WHO officials have called for enhanced global polio surveillance and renewed efforts to boost immunizations. "We must not return to a time when polio regularly threatened lives and overwhelmed health systems," Perehinets emphasized.
This situation serves as a stark reminder of the importance of maintaining high vaccination rates to protect public health and prevent the resurgence of preventable diseases.
