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 res-
olution; 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 re-
ported 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 Fed-
eral Government, Rotary International, the Gates Foun-
dation, 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 vac-
cine 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 world-
wide; 
Whereas, as of September 2024, only Afghanistan and Paki-
stan 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 chil-
dren, including those who have been displaced, living in 
areas of insecurity or conflict, where cases of variant po-
liovirus 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 testa-
ment 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 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) commends the work that has kept the 
Americas free from wild poliovirus; 
(2) supports the goals and ideals of the Global 
Polio Eradication Initiative; 
(3) encourages and supports the international 
community of governments and nongovernmental or-
ganizations in remaining committed to the eradi-
cation of polio; and 
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(4) encourages the Federal Government to con-
tinue committing funding to the Global Polio Eradi-
cation Initiative. 
Æ 
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