More than 600 Indian scientists, experts sign declaration to fully fund polio eradication strategy

The declaration was signed by more than 3,000 scientists, physicians and public health experts around the world to endorse the 2022-2026 strategy.

Dr Naveen Thacker, co-lead of the declaration and President Elect of International Pediatric Association.

No place is safe until polio has been eradicated everywhere and more than 600 scientists and experts from the country signed the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s declaration that was released Tuesday at the World Health Summit in Berlin.

The declaration was signed by more than 3,000 scientists, physicians and public health experts around the world to endorse the 2022-2026 strategy which aims to overcome hurdles, strengthen health systems in affected countries and deliver a polio-free world by 2026.

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Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI), a public-private partnership, has received a confirmation of USD 2.54 billion in funding toward its 2022-2026 strategy to end polio during a pledging moment at the World Health Summit in Berlin, according to an official statement issued Tuesday.

When contacted, Dr Naveen Thacker, co-lead of the declaration and president elect of the International Pediatric Association told The Indian Express that while we are near to eradicating wild polio virus, the threat continues around the world. “Resurgence of cases in the United States and the UK are a reminder that polio is still a threat to people everywhere if we do not eradicate it worldwide,” he said.

The expert stressed that this is a critical juncture where polio has been eradicated from most countries. “Our job is not finished yet and if there is backsliding on routine immunisation, then there is a real danger and we may have polio outbreaks. This is not a time for complacency,” Dr Thacker said, urging world leaders to declare their commitment to polio eradication and ensure funding for the efforts.

Polio is a highly infectious disease that can cause irreversible paralysis and has claimed the lives of far too many over the last century. As recently as 1988, there were an estimated 3,50,000 annual paralytic wild polio cases across more than 125 countries. But heroic efforts by frontline workers, communities, local governments and global partners have reached hundreds of millions of children with polio vaccines and reduced polio cases by 99.9%. These vaccination efforts have prevented an estimated 20 million children from suffering paralysis, according to the declaration.

Now, wild poliovirus is endemic in just two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, after just six cases were recorded in 2021, 29 cases have been recorded so far this year, including a small number of new detections in southeast Africa linked to a strain originating in Pakistan, the declaration said.

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Additionally, outbreaks of circulating vaccine derived polio virus, variants of the poliovirus that can emerge in places where not enough people have been immunised, continue to spread across parts of Africa, Asia and Europe, with new outbreaks detected in the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom in recent months.

Meanwhile, the funding will support global efforts to overcome the final hurdles to polio eradication, vaccinate 370 million children annually over the next five years and continue disease surveillance across 50 countries. The GPEI is led by national governments with six core partners – Rotary International, the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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