To strengthen health security, finish the job on polio eradication 

We face a defining moment in global health. In the face of COVID-19 fatigue and economic pressures, policymakers face a choice about their long-standing commitment to fund crucial immunization and health worker initiatives. Programs that have successfully prevented millions of deaths, strengthened health systems, and fueled economic growth are now stalled or under threat. Any lack of resolve may reverse decades of progress and leave the world more susceptible to future health threats. 

As leaders from dozens of African countries meet this week in Washington, D.C., U.S. policymakers have an opportunity to help strengthen regional and global health security. By working collaboratively, they can affirm the value of global health investments like the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and the Biden administration’s Global Health Worker Initiative in creating a healthier, safer, and more equitable world.  

Both programs exemplify the smart investments we need to take right now as all countries emerge from the acute phase of the pandemic. They are grounded in principles that have delivered outstanding performance results over the years and harness various existing resources to amplify impact and improve health security. 

Consider the global effort to eradicate polio, which has reduced cases by an astonishing 99.9 percent worldwide and harnessed innovations to detect, contain, and mitigate new cases. To achieve the goal set unanimously by over 160 member countries in 1988 to rid the world of the polio virus forever, nations and philanthropies pledged $2.6 billion to the GPEI during the World Health Summit – barely half of the funding commitment it needs to achieve the eradication target within the next five years. 

Closing the funding gap for GPEI and supporting the expansion and retention of more health workers around the world will deliver the innovative resources needed to save lives and deliver proper health security against infectious disease. Cutting-edge advances in data analytics can locate unvaccinated children, allowing public health workers to reach them more efficiently and effectively. Innovative platforms, such as the Africa Infodemic Response Alliance, can track rumors in social media and provide tools to address misinformation and disinformation. And one of the most exciting new advances, nOPV2,  can help stop polio outbreaks and reduce the risk of further outbreaks. 

Such investments confer benefits far beyond polio eradication by strengthening health emergency and pandemic response systems that the world desperately needs as it continues to tackle COVID-19 and prepare for future health threats.  

With 145 laboratories across 90+ countries, polio infrastructure constitutes one of the largest disease surveillance systems in the world. While built for polio detection, these systems can detect and respond to outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, yellow fever, and neonatal tetanus. Alongside this vast surveillance network, the GPEI coordinates advanced data monitoring and disease response systems from Emergency Operations Centers worldwide and supports over 300,000 frontline workers and community mobilizers who are critical first responders for many global health threats.  

Most of these frontline workers are also women, instrumental in ensuring equal vaccination of girls and boys and helping break down gender barriers at the individual, household and community levels that hinder access to immunizations. The polio eradication effort from the beginning has understood the imperative of supporting women’s needs on the frontlines, ensuring that women are represented in operational and strategic decision-making, and creating a more gender-equitable institutional culture. A push by the U.S. and other governments to fund polio eradication programs and invest in frontline health workers worldwide helps deliver real solutions to persistent gender equity issues while maximizing returns on fundamental health investments. 

Now is not the time for delay. COVID-19’s disruption to  immunization writ large left nearly 25 million children under the age of one unprotected from preventable diseases such as measles and polio in 2021 alone. Polio is currently being detected in places where it was previously stamped out, including the U.S., and more than 30 countries are facing outbreaks, a stark reminder of the need to maintain high immunization coverage against preventable diseases. By ensuring full support for initiatives like GPEI and the Global Health Worker Initiative, political leaders will deliver a crucial victory for health security in the U.S., Africa and around the world. 

Jennifer Jones is president of Rotary International, a global network of 1.4 million volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges including working toward a polio-free world. Elizabeth M. Cousens serves as president and CEO of the United Nations Foundation.