Polio: guidance, vaccination, data and analysis
The diagnosis, vaccination, management and epidemiology of polio (poliomyelitis).
Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious vaccine preventable disease. It is a notifiable disease in England and Wales.
Polio invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours (see acute flaccid paralysis). It can strike at any age but affects mainly children aged under 3 years. Most people infected with the poliovirus have no signs of illness. Symptomless people can spread the infection to thousands of others before the first case of polio paralysis emerges.
See enterovirus infections for further information.
For the latest international news on polio see statements from the World Health Organization (WHO) and news from the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNac).
Diagnosis
Clinical management
Global polio eradication
In 1988 the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to eradicate polio. The Global Poliovirus Eradication Initiative (GPEI), along with its partners, have supported countries to roll out highly effective polio vaccines and make huge progress in protecting the global population from this debilitating disease. As a result, the global incidence of polio has decreased by 99.9%. An estimated 20 million people today are walking who would otherwise have been paralysed by the disease, and more than 1.5 million people are alive, whose lives would otherwise have been lost.
Data collection
Immunisation programme and resources
Polio is a vaccine-preventable disease. The routine childhood immunisation schedule includes vaccination against polio.
Updates to this page
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This page has been updated to include information on the global polio eradication programme, the UK National Authority for Containment, and environmental surveillance.
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Added 'Acute flaccid paralysis: reporting form'.
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Added 'Polio AFP and AFM surveillance: laboratory sample submission'.
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Added 'Polio booster campaign resources', 'Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) booster: information for healthcare practitioners', 'Polio vaccination campaign letter' and 'Vaccination strategy for ongoing polio incident: JCVI statement'.
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Added 'Polio: detection of VDPV2 in London sewage samples'.
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Added link to enterovirus collection and updated WHO link.
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Added links to World Health Organisation and acute flaccid paralysis guidance.
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Added guidance on the indications polio serological testing.
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Adding national polio guidelines to collection.
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First published.