Opinion: The detection of poliovirus in the US and beyond is a call to action | CNN

CEID Affiliate Faculty Dr. Syra Madad shares her opinion on the recent detection of poliovirus in NYC sewage. The opinion concludes:

“…These latest polio incidents are not one-off events. Immunization coverage is dropping worldwide, and the immunity wall generations past have built is slowly being chipped away. The vaccine distrust that unwarrantedly grew out of the Covid-19 pandemic is only driving more people to opt out of vaccinations or under vaccinate themselves and their children. Others may have paused or delayed vaccination programs due to disruptions caused by the pandemic. The latest report by the World Health Organization shows global immunization coverage — including the polio vaccine along with numerous others like measles and rubella — dropped from 86% in 2019 to 81% in 2021.

As the WHO puts it, ‘as long as a single child remains infected with poliovirus, children in all countries are at risk of contracting the disease. The poliovirus can easily be imported into a polio-free country and can spread rapidly amongst unimmunized populations.’

Polio should have been a disease relegated to the pages in our history books. It is human behavior and the choices we make that prevent it from become another lasting public health success story.”

Read the full opinion here.