The world is in the last stretch of polio eradication, but closing this gap will require political commitment, the World Health Organization (WHO) told member states at the ongoing 79^th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA).

Polio virus has shown resurgence in conflict-hit or hard-to-reach areas like northern Yemen, Gaza, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Conflict has limited access in some of these areas and made vaccination campaigns near impossible in others.

“We are closer to polio eradication than ever, but the final stretch demands exceptional operational discipline and sustained political commitment. The remaining reservoirs are the hardest to access, the most politically complex, and the most unforgiving of operational gaps,” said Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO).

WHO said that the support of every member country and the collective political will have brought the world to the brink of success.

“The gaps mostly are in the political web, gaps in vaccination coverage, where children are still being missed, gaps in access, where insecurity and instability limit our reach, and gaps in financing, where resources must match the urgency of the final push,” said Dr Razia Pendse, WHO Chef de Cabinet.

Wild polio transmission is declining

Even in areas where the polio cases are endemic, there are showing positive signs of decline. Afghanistan and Pakistan reported 99 wild polio cases in 2024, 52 in 2025 and just six as of May 2026.

“Transmission is now limited to a small number of high-risk areas, particularly along cross border corridors between the two countries,” Balkhy said.

While the two countries are coordinating for vaccination campaigns, there are still children going without vaccinations in the southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan.

WHO said it has managed to vaccinate nearly 600,000 children in Gaza, averting a larger polio outbreak. Egypt too managed to successfully interrupt the transmission of the virus with vaccination campaigns which WHO highlighted as an example of a successful result when the political will exists.

Northern Yemen is completely out of reach

In northern Yemen, an outbreak has paralysed 450 children. “Most of them in the northern governance, where no mass vaccination campaign has been possible since 2022, and we continue to try. I urge member states to continue raising the need for access as a priority in northern Yemen,” Balkhy said.

Yemen had been polio-free since the year 2006. Balkhy assured that the WHO is pushing for improved access for polio eradication campaigns, and asked others to do so as well.

Canada highlighted the important role of the health workers against such a harsh backdrop.

“The tireless efforts of frontline health workers, the majority of whom were women, made this achievement possible. We want to highlight the challenging context in which these health workers perform their duty every day, in some cases at risk to their personal safety,” Canada’s representative told WHA.

Also read: Polio Eradication Imperiled by $2.3 Billion Funding Gap

Access and funding challenges

Unpredictable funding is getting in the way of the polio eradication campaign. The campaigns have been plagued by funding challenges, and the gap is a whopping $2.3 billion.

“Several countries, including Iraq, Libya, and Syria have already transitioned polio functions to domestic financing, demonstrating that polio infrastructure, when embedded in health systems, delivers lasting returns,” Balkhy said, citing examples of countries that have become self-reliant.

The global vaccine alliance, Gavi, has urged countries to use an integrated approach to reach zero-dose children with vaccination and primary health care, especially in humanitarian settings and emergencies. It assured countries of its continued support.

It is an approach that Japan too supported, adding that the country, “will continue to work in collaboration with WHO and other relevant organizations to contribute to polio eradication and to sustaining a polio-free world beyond eradication.”

“To finally end polio, we must sustain access, close funding gaps, maintain operational discipline, and reach every last child. If we do that, and I’m pretty sure we will finish this job,” Balkhy said.

Image Credits: WHO, WHO Yemen, X/WHO.