Celebrating partnerships & policymakers
driving global health innovation

Polio is a devastating infectious disease that can lead to permanent paralysis or death among those affected. Thanks to global vaccination efforts, the number of worldwide polio cases has dropped by 99 percent since 1988. The first-generation oral polio vaccine was a key tool in driving this progress; it prevents person-to-person transmission and is affordable and easily delivered. However, in rare cases, this vaccine, which is made from a weakened form of the virus, can lead to outbreaks of vaccine-derived polio in communities with low immunization coverage. Because the world has achieved such stunning success in reducing polio, these variant cases today outnumber wild polio cases, posing a significant barrier to eradication.

To address this challenge, a constellation of global partners came together to develop the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), a next-generation oral vaccine that offers the same advantages as its predecessor but has been engineered to be less likely to cause variant cases. In 2020, nOPV2 became the first-ever vaccine to be authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization, and since then, more than a billion doses have been delivered to children in high-risk settings. nOPV2 is a testament to the power of global partnerships and a groundbreaking innovation bringing us closer to a polio-free world.