Most Canadians have never seen a child with polio. Canada has been officially polio-free since the early 1990s, and vaccination is routine.
The world has reached this stage because of decades of coordinated action. In 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was created to eliminate polio. The partnership includes the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rotary International, the Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. When GPEI began, polio paralyzed about 1,000 children every day across more than 125 countries. Since then, cases have fallen by more than 99% and two wild poliovirus strains have been certified eradicated, and millions of cases of paralysis have been prevented because of this program.
Yet wild poliovirus remains endemic in two countries. In 2024, Afghanistan and Pakistan reported 99 cases of wild poliovirus type 1. New cases continued into 2025, concentrated in a handful of high-risk areas that are difficult for health workers to reach because of conflict, displacement, or limited confidence in the health system. The challenge is no longer global spread, but reaching the final pockets of transmission.
Finishing the job now requires sustained momentum. GPEI originally budgeted US$4.8 billion through 2026 to interrupt remaining transmission and reinforce surveillance across 50 countries. In 2024, the strategy was extended through 2029 with an updated budget of US$6.9 billion. The timeline now aims to interrupt wild poliovirus by 2027 and end variant outbreaks by 2029. The shift reflects the scale of access challenges and the time needed to work through them with trained health workers and consistent financing.
Canada participates as one of several long-standing contributors. In September 2024, the federal government announced a new CA$151 million contribution over four years to GPEI. The pledge drew attention because GPEI projects a US$1.7 billion shortfall through 2029 based on reduced development assistance from several major donors. Mid-sized contributors that sustain their commitments help determine whether field operations proceed without interruption.
These themes shaped a reception on Parliament Hill on Nov. 5 ahead of World Polio Day. Co-hosted with Rotary International, the event brought together MPs, senators, and representatives from global health organizations for a closed-door briefing on how Canada’s pledge is being rolled out.
The reception also acknowledged Canada’s long history within the eradication movement.
“For decades in Canada, Conservative and Liberal governments alike have been steadfast leaders in the global fight to end polio,” said Mike Lake, MP for Edmonton–Wetaskiwin. “Today, we are closer than ever to ending polio once and for all. Working together, with consistent and meaningful action, we will win, and along the way, every one of us will be individually better for having taken part in the fight.”
Jennifer Jones, past president of Rotary International, similarly highlighted the role of cooperation. “Ending polio is a nonpartisan priority that benefits from unity across all federal parties. Last week’s reception is a powerful reminder that when leaders come together, we move closer to a polio-free world,” she said.
The effort Canada supports extends far beyond vaccine supply. GPEI budgets fund logistics, surveillance, and staffing necessary to locate and eradicate every last poliovirus. Acute flaccid paralysis surveillance identifies children with sudden paralysis, while laboratory networks test stool samples to confirm or rule out poliovirus. Environmental surveillance monitors wastewater for traces of the virus, which often appear before clinical cases. These early-warning systems guide vaccination campaigns and outbreak response.
The infrastructure built for polio also assists wider public health functions. In many lower-resourced countries, laboratories and surveillance networks originally built for poliovirus testing also monitor measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, polio-funded staff and equipment helped countries detect and manage outbreaks in real time. In parallel, thousands of vaccinators and social mobilizers supported by GPEI provide essential services in informal settlements, remote communities, and conflict-affected areas, helping sustain vaccination uptake during childhood.
Economic modeling reflects the scale of the system. According to the CDC, financing the US$4.8 billion 2022–2026 strategy could generate US$33.1 billion in savings by 2100 by preventing paralysis, reducing long-term treatment costs, and avoiding future outbreaks that would require expensive emergency responses. The updated plan positions current investments as a cornerstone of health security, since the same infrastructure reinforces protection against multiple infectious threats.
The global picture shows both progress and risk. GPEI depends on coordinated work across governments, multilateral partners, volunteers, and community health workers who continue vaccination rounds in communities affected by conflict, displacement, or where confidence in health services is limited. The systems funded today shape whether vaccination and surveillance reach every remaining child.
Eradication remains technically achievable. What determines the outcome now is whether the operational network built over three decades stays fully resourced through the final years of the strategy. Canada’s contribution helps close the financing gap that decides if frontline work continues without interruption, and whether the world completes eradication during this period or faces delays after decades of progress.