IV 

119TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 81 

Commending efforts to eradicate the wild poliovirus. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 31, 2025 

Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. DAVIS of 

North Carolina, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. NORTON, 

Mr. THANEDAR, and Ms. WILSON of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Commending efforts to eradicate the wild poliovirus. 

Whereas nearly 60,000 children in the United States were reported to have polio in 1952 alone, with more than 

20,000 cases of paralysis; 

Whereas thanks to vaccination, polio was eliminated from the 

United States in 1979; 

Whereas the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)—a 

unique public-private partnership that includes the Federal Government, Rotary International, the Gates Foundation, and GAVI—was established in 1988 with a goal 

of eradicating polio globally, at a time when there were 

more than 350,000 cases of polio recorded annually; 

Whereas Rotary International, a global association founded in 

Illinois, has contributed more than $2,800,000,000 and 


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•HRES 81 IH 

volunteered countless hours in the global fight against 

polio since 1979; 

Whereas, since the goal of global polio eradication was set in 

1988, polio incidence has been reduced by more than 

99.9 percent through the use of the inactivated polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk and the oral polio vaccine 

developed by Albert Sabin; 

Whereas the Americas were the first region to be certified 

free from wild poliovirus in 1994, with the last case of 

wild poliovirus in the Americas confirmed in Peru in 

1991; 

Whereas, since 1994, 4 other regions of the world have been 

certified free from wild poliovirus and 2 of the 3 strains 

of wild poliovirus have been certified eradicated worldwide; 

Whereas, as of September 2024, only Afghanistan and Pakistan have been unable to fully stop transmission of wild 

poliovirus, a decrease from more than 125 countries in 

1988; 

Whereas the GPEI reaches the world’s most vulnerable children, including those who have been displaced, living in 

areas of insecurity or conflict, where cases of variant poliovirus remain of concern; 

Whereas today, according to the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention, an estimated 20,000,000 people are 

walking who have been spared from paralysis and 

1,500,000 deaths have been averted worldwide thanks to 

the efforts of the GPEI; 

Whereas, in addition to combating polio, the global workforce 

and infrastructure of the GPEI has frequently served as 

first responders for natural disasters and other public 


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•HRES 81 IH 

health crises, including outbreaks of Ebola and the 

COVID–19 pandemic; 

Whereas progress toward global polio eradication is a testament to what can be achieved through sustained global 

commitment and collaboration; 

Whereas when polio is eradicated, it will be only the second 

human disease in history to make such an achievement, 

the first being smallpox; 

Whereas the GPEI effectively reaches children to protect 

them from polio even in fragile and conflict-affected 

countries including most recently in Palestine; 

Whereas countries long considered polio-free, including the 

United States, which confirmed a case of polio in 2022 

in the State of New York, are vulnerable to outbreaks of 

polio until poliovirus transmission is stopped globally; and 

Whereas as long as poliovirus circulates anywhere, it remains 

a threat to children everywhere: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) commends the work that has kept the 

3 Americas free from wild poliovirus; 

4 (2) supports the goals and ideals of the Global 

5 Polio Eradication Initiative; 

6 (3) encourages and supports the international 

7 community of governments and nongovernmental or8 ganizations in remaining committed to the eradi9 cation of polio; and 


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•HRES 81 IH 

1 (4) encourages the Federal Government to con2 tinue committing funding to the Global Polio Eradi3 cation Initiative. 

Æ 


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