Brief History of Polio

A map showing the progress between 1988 and 2020 in the eradication of polio worldwide Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)



1979

Polio eradicated in the United States.

In 1979, polio was eradicated in the United States thanks to vaccination. This means that there is no year-round transmission of polio and no cases of polio have originated in the United States since 1979. The polio virus can still be brought into the country by travelers; the last time this happened was in 1993.