A staggering 85 per cent of children affected by polio in 2023 reside in fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable countries, according to a new analysis released by United Nations Children’s Fund on World Polio Day on Thursday.
The report highlights the significant challenges in reaching children with life-saving vaccines in these areas, where conflict, natural disasters, and humanitarian crises have devastated healthcare systems.
“Children in conflict zones face more than bombs and bullets; they are at risk of deadly diseases that should no longer exist,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “We cannot rest until every child, in every corner of the world, is safe from polio – once and for all.”
The analysis reveals that polio cases have more than doubled in the past five years in these countries, while routine childhood immunization has dropped from 75 per cent to 70 per cent – far below the 95 per cent needed for community immunity.
UNICEF and partners have intensified emergency responses to surges in polio outbreaks, including vaccination campaigns in Gaza and Sudan.
541 children were affected by polio globally in 2023, with 85 per cent living in fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable countries. Fifteen out of 21 conflict-affected countries are currently battling polio, and global childhood immunization has dropped from 75 per cent to 70 per cent.
UNICEF urged governments, partners, and donors to prioritise vaccination, strengthen immunisation systems, protect healthcare workers, and provide critical resources to eradicate polio.
“The spread of polio not only puts children in affected countries at immediate risk but also poses a growing threat to neighboring countries,” Russell added.
With over 1 billion doses of polio vaccines delivered annually, UNICEF noted its commitment to ending this debilitating disease.
