Reaching every child: The global push to end polio 

Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that mostly affects children under five, and the virus can move quietly from person to person, even before they show signs of sickness. The virus can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis, and in the most severe cases, death. Sadly, there is no cure; polio can only be prevented through vaccination.     

Thanks to decades of coordinated global efforts, polio has almost been eradicated with more than 20 million people walking today who otherwise would not be. In many countries, strong immunisation systems have kept polio at bay. Yet, in communities where routine vaccination coverage is low – often in remote areas or conflict-affected regions – the virus can still find its way back.   

In 2025, UNICEF teams travelled through some of the most challenging terrain in the world to reach children with lifesaving vaccines — from the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where polio remains endemic, to conflict-ravaged Gaza and to the islands and highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG), where polio emerged earlier this year. 

As the largest buyer of vaccines in the world, UNICEF vaccinates almost half the world's children under five each year. During outbreaks, UNICEF leads large-scale immunisation campaigns to boost immunity and prevent the disease from spreading – as seen in Gaza in 2024 and again in May this year in PNG. 

Stopping polio in its tracks in Papua New Guinea 

After 25 years of being polio-free, in May 2025, PNG confirmed poliovirus had been detected in two children in Lae, the country’s second largest city. Low routine immunisation coverage had left many children in PNG vulnerable, triggering a national emergency response to protect every child across the country.  

UNICEF Australia’s, Bethany Stirling, travelled to PNG to assist with the first phase of the national polio campaign.

“Health centres were bustling with women, babies and children eager to receive the vaccine,” she said. “Health workers and volunteers were tirelessly travelling throughout the community, spreading the word about the free vaccine campaign to make sure every child under ten was protected from the virus.” 

As Senior International Programs Manager, Bethany's role was to monitor the rollout across several provinces, supporting local health teams and ensuring no child was left behind. 

“At one point, I joined local teams going house-to-house to check if every child had been vaccinated," explained Bethany. "If anyone had been missed, we would recommend parents take their child to the local health centre, and we'd provide information about the outbreak and how to protect their children. We'd also let the health centres know so they could go back to the community." 

Behind this enormous effort was a broad network of partners. UNICEF worked alongside Papua New Guinea’s National Department of Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO), Provincial Health Authorities, local health workers, schools, churches, community leaders, and local media – all to make sure families knew when and where to get their children vaccinated. UNICEF also supported health workers with essential training, equipment and logistics – from maintaining the cold chain to arranging the transport needed to carry vaccines across islands, rivers and mountain ranges.

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Fighting polio in Papua New Guinea

In the second phase of the campaign, running from 13 to 31 October 2025, UNICEF and its partners have set their sights on reaching 95 per cent of all children –⁠ the critical threshold needed to stop the virus from circulating.  

But in PNG, the challenges are immense. It’s a country defined by its geography: mountains, dense rainforest and scattered islands mean that no two journeys are the same. In the wet season, flooding can make travel dangerous, while maintaining the vaccine cold chain over long distances tests even the most experienced logistics teams. Despite these hurdles, UNICEF worked hard with the government and partners to ensure all health facilities received the polio vaccines in good condition for the campaign to roll out. 

“Parents and carers were incredibly keen to get their children vaccinated,” Bethany said. “I met a mother named Deborah with her newborn baby, Geua – just four days old – who proudly received her first polio vaccine. At another clinic, nine-month-old Roku was vaccinated for both polio and measles, catching up on doses he’d missed.” 

The campaign didn’t stop at polio. Health workers also used the opportunity to review every child’s health record and provide any missed routine immunisations – a crucial step in strengthening overall child health and preventing future outbreaks. 

No child should suffer from a disease we have vaccines to prevent and know how to stop. Every dose delivered, every child reached, brings us closer to eradicating this disease. With strong partnerships, resilient health systems, a world free from polio is not just possible – it's within reach.