Poliovirus detected in UK for the second time this year – a week after government cuts all funding for Global Polio Eradication Initiative
LONDON, UK – 26/3/2026 – Poliovirus has been detected in wastewater in the UK for the second time in 2026 – and the 10th time since 2024 – a week after the government announced it has eliminated funding for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
The UK has historically been the second-largest sovereign donor to GPEI since its inception in 1988, behind only the US – helping to reduce global polio cases by more than 99%.
Wild polio remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan, however, and variant polio outbreaks continue in fragile countries across Africa, the Middle East and South-East Asia. Gaza recorded its first case of polio in 25 years last August, which left a 10-month old boy paralysed.
Today (Thursday 26 March), GPEI confirmed the second detection of the poliovirus in wastewater in London in 2026. As immunisation rates decline, this increases the risk of paralytic cases, as happened in the US in 2022.
It comes a week after Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, confirmed the UK will withdraw all funding for GPEI as part of a wider 40% cut to the international aid budget.
A research paper published by the Lancet warned that insufficient funding of eradication initiatives could lead to 200,000 people being paralysed by polio every year in low-income countries.
GPEI has said it has been forced to cut its budget for 2026 by 30% – which has seen significant cutbacks to its surveillance and outbreak response programmes.
Adrian Lovett, UK Executive Director for the ONE Campaign, said:
“Polio is not a disease of the past – it is still paralysing children in some of the world’s poorest countries. With the virus now detected in the UK and other Western countries, it is clear that no one is safe until everyone is.
“Covid showed us that viruses do not respect borders. No matter how wealthy a country may be, our defence against public health emergencies depends on our neighbours, and we are only ever as strong as our weakest link.
“That is why the UK government’s decision to slash international assistance is so short-sighted and self-defeating. Not only do we have a moral responsibility to the world’s most disadvantaged people, but it also puts the UK public in greater danger.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
The World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef estimate that Pol3 immunisation rates, the percentage of 1-year-old children who have received all three recommended doses of the polio vaccine, in the United Kingdom were:
- 95% between 2012 and 2015
- 94% 2016-2018
- 93% 2019-2021
- 92% 2022-2023
About the ONE Campaign:
ONE is a global, nonpartisan organisation advocating for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. Our trusted advocacy combines hard-hitting data, grassroots activism and political engagement to influence decision-makers and drive lasting change. Learn more at ONE.org