Polio Resurgence Fears as US Vaccine Rates Fall

Experts warn the US healthcare system is unprepared to handle a potential polio outbreak.

Feb. 23, 2026 at 5:33pm

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Public health experts are raising concerns about the resurgence of preventable infectious diseases like polio, as vaccine rates decline and the US healthcare system lacks the infrastructure and expertise to effectively manage an outbreak. Survivors of polio describe the long-term debilitating effects of the disease and warn that many medical professionals today have limited or no direct experience with polio, making proper treatment and care challenging.

Why it matters

The potential for a polio resurgence is particularly concerning in communities with low vaccination rates, where the disease could spread rapidly before being detected. Experts emphasize the importance of maintaining high vaccination rates and a readily available vaccine supply to enable rapid response in the event of an outbreak.

The details

With a top US vaccines adviser recently suggesting a reevaluation of routine childhood vaccinations, fears are growing that the United States could see a rise in cases of diseases like polio, a virus that can cause lifelong paralysis. Polio itself has no cure, and a significant proportion of those infected develop post-polio syndrome, a chronic condition that can manifest decades after the initial infection. However, many healthcare professionals today have limited or no direct experience with the disease, as the polio vaccine has been so successful in eradicating it from the US.

  • The Boston polio outbreak occurred in the 1950s.
  • The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently suggested reconsidering routine childhood vaccines.

The players

Grace Rossow

An operating-room communications coordinator in Illinois who has experienced the long-term effects of polio since infancy.

Art Caplan

A professor of medical ethics at NYU Grossman Medical School who contracted polio during the Boston outbreak in the 1950s.

Gordon Allan

An orthopedic surgeon and residency director at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine who learned techniques for treating post-polio complications from previous generations of doctors.

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What they’re saying

“We don't have a healthcare infrastructure to take care of a polio outbreak. They don't know how to treat it. We see a massive problem if we have a resurgence of polio.”

— Grace Rossow, Operating-room communications coordinator (newsdirectory3.com)

“If you could gather up the kids I saw die or become really severely disabled from 50 years ago, they would want you arrested... It's horrifying, and the height of irresponsibility to leave the door open even a crack.”

— Art Caplan, Professor of medical ethics (newsdirectory3.com)

“No one practicing has first-hand experience. Those procedures are now rarely performed. It's a lost art.”

— Gordon Allan, Orthopedic surgeon and residency director (newsdirectory3.com)

What’s next

Experts emphasize the importance of maintaining high vaccination rates and a readily available vaccine supply to enable rapid response in the event of a polio outbreak.

The takeaway

The potential resurgence of polio highlights the critical need to maintain high vaccination rates and ensure the healthcare system is prepared to effectively manage and treat this debilitating disease, which can have long-lasting consequences for those infected.