Picture of mothers with their babies in a waiting hall.

    Infectious diseases Fighting polio

    The poliomyelitis virus is transmitted from person to person. One in 200 infections results in permanent paralysis, most often in the legs. About five to ten percent of patients with paralysis die because their respiratory muscles are affected. Small children are particularly at risk.

    There is still no drug for treating polio, but there are highly effective vaccines. These vaccines can prevent the onset of the disease and, with consistent global application, can eradicate poliomyelitis entirely. This is the goal of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

    German activities

    Germany is deeply involved in combating polio and is one of the largest public-sector supporters of the GPEI.

    The Federal Republic of Germany provided 898 million US dollars for polio eradication up to and including 2024, for instance for programmes in Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

    Since 2020, Germany has supported the GPEI with a fixed annual contribution. Until 2022, this amounted to 35 million euros per year, and in 2023 and 2024, the GPEI's work was funded with 37 million euros annually from the BMZ’s budget. Additionally, in 2020, five million euros each in bilateral financial support for polio eradication were disbursed to Nigeria and Pakistan in the context of pandemic response efforts.

    The German government plays an active part in shaping the strategic direction of the GPEI. A key priority is ensuring that GPEI-funded measures also strengthen national health systems, thereby helping to secure the sustainability of polio eradication efforts.

    Furthermore, Germany is also contributing 600 million euros to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for the period 2021 to 2025. Gavi works closely with the GPEI and assists partner countries in administering inactivated poliomyelitis vaccines as part of routine immunisation programmes (see also: Oral vaccination: opportunities and risks).

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