Polio Vaccinations Decreased in Europe

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that polio vaccine coverage in Europe is at its lowest level in several years, leaving more than 450,000 infants unprotected.

In 2024, polio vaccination rates in Europe decreased.

"Gaps in immunization coverage make children vulnerable and pose a health security risk to our region and beyond," stated Ihor Perehinets, MPH, the regional emergency director for WHO's European office, in a press release issued on October 24, 2025.

This WHO warning comes as new polio cases have been confirmed in Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

In Afghanistan, two patients were infected with wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), with paralysis onset in early October, bringing the country's total WPV1 cases to nine for 2025.

Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea (PNG) reported two cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) this week in Central and Enga provinces, with paralysis onset in August. So far this year, PNG has confirmed three cVDPV2 cases.

Furthermore, poliovirus type 2 has been detected through routine wastewater surveillance in 6 countries in the Region (Finland, Germany, Israel, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom) since September 2024.

WHO/Europe, together with other GPEI partners, continues to support national and local public health authorities in their investigations and monitoring of the situation, as well as in strengthening immunization programs and rapidly responding to detections of the virus to prevent it from spreading. 

To alert international travelers to their polio risk in 2025, the U.S. CDC has issued a Travel Health Notice listing 39 countries. The CDC advises travelers to be fully vaccinated before visiting these areas.