On May 13, 1988 at the 41st World Health Assembly the global polio eradication goal was set (resolution WHA41.28 [9]), marking the beginning of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).   At the time “over 35,000 cases” of polio were reported to the WHO. [1, 2]  In October 2023 the WHO claim that 1988 polio case number was 350,000 cases!

“Until the 1950s, polio crippled thousands of children every year in industrialized countries.” The Salk Inactivated Polio Virus (IPV) vaccine was released in 1955 (along with polio outbreaks and SV40 contamination) followed by Sabin’s Oral Polio Virus (OPV) vaccine in 1963, following which WHO declare “polio was brought under control, and practically eliminated as a public health problem in industrialized countries”. [8]

Polio wasn’t recognised in developing countries until ‘lameness surveys’ were conducted during the 1970s, following which national immunization with OPV began under the WHO’s EPI program. [8]

Polio was technically called Paralytic poliomyelitis, said to be “irreversible“.  In April 1999 the WHO redefined cases as Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) [6, 7]

  • In 1997 the number of reported polio cases fell to 5,160, an almost 90% decrease [1, 2]
  • In 1997 philanthropist Mr. R.E. (Ted) Turner made a gift of US $1 billion to the United Nations Foundation (UNF) of which UNF granted $28 million to the GPEI  [3]
  • During 1997, 450 million children – two thirds of the world’s children under five – were immunized against polio in mass immunization campaigns in 80 countries. [1]
  • March 1998, the Board of Trustees of Rotary International approved  US$10.7 million for the polio eradication initiative. [1] By early 1999 Rotary International had raised close to $500 million for vaccination programmes – “WHO’s closest ally” [4]
  • 1998 the Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) program begins
  • April 17, 1999 – WHO WER publish new definition for polio, to now “conduct surveillance for cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP)”
  • February 1999 – Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director- General of WHO, “declared war on polio and called for an acceleration of efforts to meet the year 2000 target”…A world free of polio would save 1.5 billion dollars annually in vaccination costs.” She called for “a one-time investment” of $370 million now in order to save $1.5 billion every years! [4, 2]
  • March 1999 – “In all remaining countries classified as ‘difficult’, routine immunization coverage is low. The only way to increase immunity and stop transmission is to conduct additional house-to-house rounds between regularly scheduled NIDS” ie. National Immunization Days.[4]
  • At the 1999 “World Economic Summit in Davos, Brundtland “described the important role of the private sector in health and highlighted global polio eradication as an example of successful collaboration” [4]
  • March 1999 – new website set up
  • In 1999, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) donated US $50 million to the GPEI, at the time the foundation was led by William H. Gates, Sr. [3]
  • On May 15, 2000 WHO head, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland announced “the world is on track to be certified polio-free by 2005” – clearly missing the 2000 goal. [5]  Blamed on children missing out on vaccination.

The declaration goal posts have moved since 1988.  Today regions are declared eradicated of specific wild type polio virus, and some regions are declared “endemic“.  Mass vaccination of live virus vaccines has caused vaccine-derived polio to emerged.