WHO warns $1.7bn funding shortfall threatens polio eradication efforts

"The significant funding reductions mean that certain activities will simply not happen, said Jamal Ahmed, the WHO's director of polio eradication, at a news conference on Tuesday. list of 3 itemsend of list Officials said that the shortfall is largely driven by reduced foreign aid, particularly from the United States, which has stepped back from the WHO since President Donald Trump returned to office."

"Eradication remains feasible and is doable, Ahmed said. We need everybody to remain committed and ensure that no child is left behind. To cope, the GPEI plans to concentrate its resources on surveillance and vaccination in high-risk areas. The initiative will also work more closely with other health campaigns, such as measles programmes, and adopt strategies like fractional dosing. This approach uses as little as a fifth of a standard vaccine dose, stretching supplies while still protecting children from infection."

GPEI will face a 30 percent budget reduction in 2026 and a $1.7 billion funding gap through 2029, threatening eradication efforts. Significant reductions in funding mean that certain activities will not happen. The shortfall is largely driven by reduced foreign aid, particularly from the United States, with Germany and the United Kingdom also reducing contributions. The initiative plans to concentrate resources on surveillance and vaccination in high-risk areas, collaborate with other health campaigns such as measles programmes, adopt fractional dosing using as little as a fifth of a standard dose, and scale back operations in lower-risk regions. Afghanistan and Pakistan reported 36 wild polio cases in 2025 and will continue to receive essential interventions.

Read at www.aljazeera.com