Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious viral infection characterized by oral entry, subsequent intestinal multiplication, and potential invasion of the central nervous system [1][2]. The pathogen spreads primarily through direct person-to-person contact via the faecal-oral route, though shared contaminated resources such as water or food may occasionally facilitate transmission [2]. Once neural tissues are compromised, the condition can rapidly progress to acute flaccid paralysis in susceptible individuals [1].
Disease overview
Poliomyelitis
脊髓灰质炎
Evidence-backed informationEN 7/7 applicable sections · ZH 7/7 applicable sectionsUpdated Sep 3, 2026
Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious viral illness that primarily affects young children and can rapidly invade the nervous system to cause paralysis [1][2]. Following the 1988 launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, global incidence has declined by more than ninety-nine percent from historical peaks across numerous endemic nations [1][3]. Although wild poliovirus types two and three have been eliminated, type one continues to circulate in limited endemic areas, maintaining a persistent risk of international spread [3][2].
Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile8
The majority of infected individuals experience either asymptomatic presentation or mild, self-limiting prodromal symptoms including fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, cervical rigidity, and musculoskeletal pain that typically resolve within ten days [1]. Approximately one in two hundred infections progresses to irreversible paralysis, which predominantly involves the lower extremities [1]. Among those who develop paralytic disease, five to ten percent face fatal outcomes when respiratory musculature becomes immobilized [1].
Global incidence has undergone a dramatic reduction following the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, dropping from an estimated three hundred fifty thousand cases across numerous endemic nations to a fraction of that number [1]. Multiple WHO regions have achieved formal certification of wild poliovirus interruption between 1994 and 2014, reflecting sustained regional control efforts [1]. Transmission currently persists only in two endemic countries, yet the pathogen retains the ability to re-establish circulation in any region with insufficient population immunity or through cross-border importation [3].
Primary spread occurs through direct person-to-person contact utilizing the faecal-oral pathway, while secondary transmission may occasionally involve shared contaminated resources such as water or food supplies [2]. Following ingestion, the virus undergoes extensive multiplication within the gastrointestinal tract before potentially disseminating to neural tissues [1]. The clinical incubation period generally ranges from seven to ten days, though asymptomatic carriage or delayed onset can extend from four to thirty-five days [2].
Children younger than five years represent the primary demographic experiencing severe neurological complications and permanent disability [1]. Individuals of any age who have not received recommended immunizations or lack prior serological immunity face substantially elevated susceptibility to infection [1]. Populations residing in or traversing regions with active endemic transmission or suboptimal vaccination rates encounter heightened exposure probabilities and potential disease reintroduction [3].
Disease mitigation depends entirely on routine immunization, as therapeutic interventions cannot reverse established neurological damage [1]. Administration of multiple vaccine doses provides durable protection, with programmatic deployment of oral and inactivated formulations tailored to regional epidemiological conditions [1]. Maintaining consistently high vaccination coverage is critical to prevent viral importation into previously cleared territories and to eliminate residual transmission chains [1].
Public health monitoring efforts are centrally coordinated through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which prioritizes integrated disease surveillance alongside targeted immunization campaigns in affected or high-risk jurisdictions [1]. Sustained surveillance infrastructure is essential for detecting residual transmission and verifying the interruption of wild poliovirus circulation across national borders [1]. Interpretation of surveillance data must therefore emphasize early warning capabilities and cross-border coordination to prevent re-emergence in previously certified polio-free regions [1].
- 1World Health Organization. Poliomyelitis [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/poliomyelitis
- 2World Health Organization. Poliomyelitis (polio) [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/poliomyelitis
- 3World Health Organization. Poliomyelitis [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/poliomyelitis
- A80
- 1C81
Coverage
Reporting countries and regions
Trends by reporting country
Monthly patterns over time
Research Radar
Recent related research
Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication — January 2023–December 2024
Archives of Public Health
Strategies and lessons learned from a type 1 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) outbreak affecting adult population: Madagascar, 2020–2023
Vaccine
Vaccination policies for healthcare personnel in Europe, 2026
Vaccine
Vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks in schools, part 2: pertussis, meningococcal disease, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, hepatitis A, and rotavirus infection
Vaccine
Update on Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Outbreaks — Worldwide, January 2023–June 2024
MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Showing 5 of 9 related publications.
Literature links are provided for discovery and do not alter or validate the surveillance series above.
Data access
Page dataset index with source links and update metadata.
Official sourcesAuthority, cadence, notes46
Australia NINDSS
Australia
Australian national notifiable diseases surveillance dashboard.
Australia NINDSS — Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Australian Capital Territory, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — New South Wales
New South Wales, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for New South Wales, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Northern Territory
Northern Territory, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Northern Territory, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Queensland
Queensland, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Queensland, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — South Australia
South Australia, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for South Australia, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Tasmania
Tasmania, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Tasmania, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Victoria
Victoria, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Victoria, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Australia NINDSS — Western Australia
Western Australia, Australia
Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Western Australia, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.
Canada PHAC CNDSS Annual
Canada
Canada is the national jurisdiction; subdivision feeds are registered separately.
China CDC Weekly
China
Monthly notifiable infectious disease reports published by China CDC.
National Disease Control and Prevention Administration
China
Official China public health bulletin and query portal.
PubMed
China
Biomedical literature discovery feed used as supplementary context.
Public Health Science Data Center
Anhui, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Anhui, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Chongqing, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Chongqing, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Guangdong, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Guangdong, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Gansu, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Gansu, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Henan, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Henan, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Jiangsu, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Jiangsu, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Sichuan, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Sichuan, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Shandong, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Shandong, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Shanghai, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Shanghai, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Xinjiang, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Xinjiang, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Public Health Science Data Center
Zhejiang, China
Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.
Provincial statutory infectious disease monthly report
Zhejiang, China
Province-level statutory infectious disease report published by the responsible health authority.
Hong Kong, China CHP Notifiable Diseases
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China CHP annual notifiable infectious disease CSVs normalized to national monthly totals
Iceland Directorate of Health Annual Dashboard
Iceland
National annual case notifications by disease. Published values can be revised retrospectively and remain annual period totals.
Iceland Directorate of Health STI Dashboard
Iceland
Monthly STI diagnosis facts from laboratory and registry surveillance; the official dashboard is published on a quarterly schedule.
Iceland Directorate of Health Respiratory Dashboard
Iceland
ISO-week respiratory diagnosis counts. Hospitalizations, samples, and vaccination indicators are separate measures and are not counted as diagnoses.
Iceland Directorate of Health Historical Registry
Iceland
Historical official registry tables for 1997–2021, with annual totals and disease-specific monthly notification facts retained at source grain.
Iceland Directorate of Health Legacy ICD Monthly
Iceland
Historical Saga EHR ICD encounter counts for 1997–2020. This clinical measure is non-comparable with registry notifications and is kept separate.
JP NIID Weekly
Japan
Japan weekly infectious disease surveillance via NIID/JIHS.
Korea KDCA EID
South Korea
Korea KDCA notifiable infectious disease OpenAPI or portal/KOSIS downloads aggregated to national monthly notification counts.
Norway FHI MSIS Statistics Bank
Norway
Norway FHI MSIS national monthly notifications from the official Allvis frontend API; adapter contract checks guard the unversioned endpoint.
Sweden Public Health Agency SmiNet
Sweden
Sweden SmiNet national monthly reported cases from the official Public Health Agency statistics pages; public release is enabled with closed-month publication and revisable recent-month refreshes.
Singapore CDA Weekly Infectious Diseases Bulletin
Singapore
Singapore national weekly case notifications, combining the official data.gov.sg 2012–2022 CSV history with CDA annual workbooks from 2023 onward; 2023 weekly PDFs are retained as a source fallback.