Four nations in the Americas now stand where the old fear of polio could return, not because the virus has arrived but because the shield built over decades has thinned. During the long disruption of the pandemic, routine immunizations slipped out of reach for many families, and the region's coverage has fallen to around 79 percent, the lowest since 1994. The Pan American Health Organization is urging governments to watch closely and to seek out the children who have been left unprotected, since a disease once eradicated from the hemisphere can slip back quietly into the places where its door
PAHO Warns Brazil, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Peru Face Very High Polio Risk as Vaccination Falls
No confirmed cases in the region; the risk is irreversible paralysis for unvaccinated people, mainly children under five, if the virus spreads.
Prevention is the only option, and it is only possible with vaccines.
Mark
Why is PAHO sounding the alarm when there isn't a single confirmed case in the region?
Mimi
Because the concern is the gap in protection. Coverage is about 79 percent, the lowest since 1994, and nearly all of South America is under 80 percent.
Mark
And which countries are most exposed?
Mimi
Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Peru are rated very high risk. Argentina, the Bahamas, Ecuador, Panama, Suriname and Venezuela are rated high risk.
Luke
Worth being clear that this is PAHO's risk assessment, not a count of infections. The reporting doesn't say how the agency scored each country.
Mark
Why bring up New York?
Mimi
Wastewater samples in four counties showed the virus, and the governor declared a disaster emergency. Etienne used it to show how quietly polio can spread where coverage is thin.
Luke
The piece also mentions London and Jerusalem, but gives no detail on those detections, so I wouldn't read more into them.
Mark
What makes polio so hard to catch early?
Mimi
It's often asymptomatic. Roughly one in 200 infections causes irreversible paralysis, and up to 10 percent of those patients die.
Luke
And the 79 percent is a regional figure. It hides what individual countries or neighborhoods look like, which the source doesn't break down.
El Pulso
- Regional polio vaccine coverage has sunk to about 79 percent, the lowest mark since 1994, leaving a widening gap in protection.
- Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Peru are flagged at very high risk of polio's return, while six more countries sit on the high-risk list.
- New York's wastewater detections and a disaster emergency declaration show how the virus can spread unseen in under-vaccinated communities.
- PAHO is pressing every country to strengthen surveillance and launch proactive catch-up drives to reach unvaccinated children, mainly under five.
- No confirmed polio cases exist in Latin America or the Caribbean yet, so the race is to close the gaps before the virus finds them.
Four nations in the Americas now stand where the old fear of polio could return, not because the virus has arrived but because the shield built over decades has thinned. During the long disruption of the pandemic, routine immunizations slipped out of reach for many families, and the region's coverage has fallen to around 79 percent, the lowest since 1994. The Pan American Health Organization is urging governments to watch closely and to seek out the children who have been left unprotected, since a disease once eradicated from the hemisphere can slip back quietly into the places where its door has been left open.
On Wednesday, the Pan American Health Organization warned reporters that Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Peru face a very high risk that polio could return to the region. The cause, the agency said, is a sharp drop in vaccination during the coronavirus pandemic, which has pushed protection against the disease to its lowest level in decades.
Regional coverage for the polio vaccine has fallen to about 79 percent, the lowest since 1994. PAHO director Carissa Etienne reminded listeners that vaccines had eradicated polio from the Americas about 30 years ago, and she said nearly all of South America now sits below 80 percent coverage. Argentina, the Bahamas, Ecuador, Panama, Suriname and Venezuela were also named as high-risk.
No polio cases are currently confirmed in Latin America or the Caribbean. Still, the warning comes as the virus has surfaced elsewhere. New York declared a disaster emergency after detections in wastewater across four counties, and cases have appeared in London and Jerusalem. Etienne pointed to New York as a lesson: the virus can spread quickly and quietly where vaccine coverage is thin.
Her message was direct. Polio has no cure, and prevention through vaccination is the only defense. The disease mainly strikes children under five and, though often without symptoms, leaves about one in 200 infected people permanently paralyzed. PAHO is asking countries to expand surveillance and reach unvaccinated communities before the virus arrives. For now, the concern is the gap in protection, not an outbreak already underway.
On Wednesday, the Pan American Health Organization told reporters that four countries in the Americas, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Peru, are at very high risk of seeing polio return. The cause, the agency said, is a slide in vaccination during the coronavirus pandemic, which has pushed protection against the disease to historic lows.
The central figure is regional coverage for the polio vaccine, which PAHO put at about 79 percent. That is the lowest level since 1994. PAHO director Carissa Etienne noted that vaccines had eradicated polio in the region 30 years earlier, and that the pandemic-era drop has left many people unprotected. She said nearly all of South America currently has coverage below 80 percent.
Beyond the four countries at very high risk, Etienne said Argentina, the Bahamas, Ecuador, Panama, Suriname and Venezuela have also been identified as high-risk. There are currently no confirmed polio cases in Latin America or the Caribbean. PAHO is asking every country in the region to strengthen surveillance and to go out and proactively reach communities where children have not been vaccinated.
The warning arrives as the virus has surfaced elsewhere. Earlier this month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency to speed up vaccination after the virus was detected in wastewater samples taken in four counties. Cases have also been detected in London and Jerusalem. Etienne pointed to New York as the lesson: the virus, she said, can appear and spread quickly and quietly in communities with insufficient vaccine coverage, and she added that she could not state this strongly enough.
Her message on treatment was just as direct. Polio is not a treatable disease, she told reporters, and prevention is the only option, which is only possible through vaccines. A vaccine first became available in 1955. There is no known cure, but three injections provide nearly 100 percent immunity.
The stakes are rooted in what polio did in the first half of the 20th century, when it terrified parents around the world. It mainly affects children under five. It is often asymptomatic, though it can cause symptoms such as fever and vomiting. Around one in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, and among those patients, up to 10 percent die.
What to watch now is whether countries on PAHO's lists expand surveillance and run catch-up vaccination drives before the virus finds its way in. For now, the region has no confirmed cases, and the agency's concern is about the gap in protection rather than an outbreak already under way.
Citas Notables
Polio is not a treatable disease. Prevention is the only option, and prevention is only possible with vaccines.— Carissa Etienne, PAHO director
The polio virus can appear and spread quickly and quietly in communities with insufficient vaccine coverage.— Carissa Etienne, PAHO director
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