US HR81

House Resolution commending global efforts to eradicate wild poliovirus, introduced January 31, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

Recognizes the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), established in 1988, which has reduced polio incidence by more than 99.9% from over 350,000 annual cases to only Afghanistan and Pakistan still having active transmission as of September 2024

Notes Rotary International has contributed more than $2.8 billion to polio eradication efforts since 1979, and an estimated 20 million people have been spared from paralysis with 1.5 million deaths averted worldwide

Highlights that the United States eliminated polio in 1979 through vaccination but remains vulnerable to outbreaks, including a confirmed case in New York in 2022

Encourages the Federal Government to continue funding the GPEI and supports international governmental and nongovernmental organizations in remaining committed to complete eradication