IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. RES. 81
Commending efforts to eradicate the wild poliovirus.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY31, 2025
Mr. C
OHEN(for himself, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. DAVISof Illinois, Mr. DAVISof
North Carolina, Mr. J
OHNSONof Georgia, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. NORTON,
Mr. T
HANEDAR, and Ms. WILSONof 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
(1) commends the work that has kept the 2
Americas free from wild poliovirus; 3
(2) supports the goals and ideals of the Global 4
Polio Eradication Initiative; 5
(3) encourages and supports the international 6
community of governments and nongovernmental or-7
ganizations in remaining committed to the eradi-8
cation of polio; and 9
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•HRES 81 IH
(4) encourages the Federal Government to con-1
tinue committing funding to the Global Polio Eradi-2
cation Initiative. 3
Æ
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