Risk of Polio Resurgence in the US Amid Vaccine Misinformation and Distrust

TL/DR –

Grace Rossow, a 32-year-old polio survivor, relies on a $30,000 leg brace and a $4,000 wheelchair, and has undergone more than 15 surgeries costing over $1 million. Despite high immunization rates in the U.S., there are concerns about potential policy changes under the Trump administration that could weaken defenses against a polio outbreak. The most effective way to fight polio is through vaccination, but anti-vaccine misinformation, potential changes in healthcare policies, and pockets of unvaccinated populations could contribute to a resurgence of the disease.

Impact of Polio on Personal Life and the Importance of Vaccination

Grace Rossow, a 32-year-old surgery case coordinator from Springfield, Ill., has been living with polio, a vaccine-preventable gastrointestinal disease, since she was nine months old. The disease, which can cause death or lifelong paralysis in severe cases, has affected her ability to walk. To get around, she uses either her $30,000 leg brace or a $4,000 wheelchair.

Polio, for which there is no cure, used to paralyze more than 15,000 people, mostly children, annually in the U.S. However, the introduction of the vaccine curtailed the spread of the disease to less than 10 cases a year by the 1970s. Despite this, experts warn that a resurgence of the virus is possible, especially in light of changes in vaccination policies and attitudes. Patsy Stinchfield, a pediatric nurse practitioner and immediate past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, warns that changes in the nation’s immunization program could lead to a polio outbreak.

Stinchfield and other public health experts are particularly concerned about the potential impact of new policies and messaging endorsed by the Trump administration. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump’s nominee for the Department of Health and Human Services, and one of his closest advisors, Aaron Siri, have been linked to anti-vaccine sentiments and misinformation.

Community Immunity and the Risk of Polio Outbreaks

The World Health Organization maintains that a community’s protection against polio outbreaks is largely influenced by herd immunity, requiring a threshold of about 80 percent immunization. Outbreaks in the U.S. could occur due to a decrease in vaccination rates, combined with an influx of vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) or wild type 1 poliovirus, both of which are currently circulating in other parts of the world.

James Cherry, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles, explains that the virus can cause an asymptomatic infection in someone who’s had the inactivated vaccine, potentially leading to further spread of the disease. If circulation reaches vulnerable and unvaccinated individuals, it could potentially cause an outbreak.

Possibility of a Polio Resurgence

Despite the perceived eradication of polio in the U.S., the virus may still be present and circulating undetected in certain regions, warns Paul Offit, an infectious disease pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Furthermore, any cessation in vaccination could lead to a gradual accumulation of susceptible individuals, potentially resulting in outbreaks in the future.

As such, maintaining high rates of vaccination and continuing efforts to eradicate polio globally are crucial to preventing a resurgence of the disease.

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