Global efforts to eliminate polio face potential delays due to U.S. funding reductions totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, a World Health Organization (WHO) official warned. The cuts, tied to the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO and shifts in foreign aid under the Trump administration’s “America First” policy, have disrupted partnerships critical to vaccination programs.
The U.S. had pledged $133 million this year to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a coalition including WHO, UNICEF, and the Gates Foundation. Its absence risks weakening surveillance and staffing in high-risk regions like Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are the last two countries with wild polio transmission. “Delays could mean more children paralyzed,” said Dr. Hamid Jafari, WHO’s regional polio director.
Last week, the U.S. terminated 90% of its global health grants through USAID, including UNICEF’s polio funding. While Saudi Arabia recently donated 500 million, the initiative still faces a 2.4 billion shortfall through 2029. Organizations stress that no single donor can replace U.S. support.
Vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan and Pakistan remain prioritized, but long-term gaps threaten progress. Health workers warn that prolonged eradication efforts will escalate costs and risks of outbreaks. The WHO urges renewed funding to avoid losing decades of progress against a disease once near global extinction.