The true reason polio poses such a threat episode artwork

EPISODE · May 29, 2026 · 8 MIN

The true reason polio poses such a threat

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Explore what makes polio so dangerous, what is causing the 21st century resurgence of cases, and how we can eradicate the disease.--In 1952, polio was everywhere: killing or paralyzing roughly half a million people annually. Yet just 10 years later, paralytic polio cases in the US dropped by 96% and we were on track to get rid of polio for good. But in recent years, the virus started striking back. So, what’s behind these recent spikes? Explore the dangers of poliovirus and the possibility of eradicating this deadly disease.Directed by Anton Bogaty.This video made possible in collaboration with Gates VenturesLearn more about how TED-Ed partnerships work: https://bit.ly/TEDEdPartnerA special thanks to Ananda Bandyopadhyay, Amber Zeddies, and Kathleen O'Reilly who provided information and insights for the development of this video.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-real-reason-polio-is-so-dangerousDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-real-reason-polio-is-so-dangerous/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://antonbogaty.comMusic: https://www.wonderboyaudio.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Katie McDowell, Allen, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Xiao Yu, Melissa Suarez, Brian A. Dunn, Francisco Amaya, Daisuke Goto, Matt Switzler, Peng, Tzu-Hsiang, Bethany Connor, Jeremy Shimanek, Mark Byers, Avinash Amarnath, Xuebicoco, Rayo, Po Foon Kwong, Boffin, Jesse Jurman, Scott Markley, Elija Peterson, Ovidiu Mrd, paul g mohney, Steven Razey, Nathan Giusti, Helen Lee, Anthony Benedict, Karthik Balsubramanian, Annastasshia Ames, Amy Lopez, Vinh-Thuy Nguyen, Liz Candee, Ugur Doga Sezgin, Karmi Nguyen, John C. Vesey, Yelena Baykova, Nick Johnson, Carlos H. Costa, Jennifer Kurkoski, Ryan B Harvey, Akinola Emmanuel, Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Sebastiaan Vleugels, Karl Laius, JY Kang and Abhishek Goel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore what makes polio so dangerous, what is causing the 21st century resurgence of cases, and how we can eradicate the disease.--In 1952, polio was everywhere: killing or paralyzing roughly half a million people annually. Yet just 10 years later, paralytic polio cases in the US dropped by 96% and we were on track to get rid of polio for good. But in recent years, the virus started striking back. So, what’s behind these recent spikes? Explore the dangers of poliovirus and the possibility of eradicating this deadly disease.Directed by Anton Bogaty.This video made possible in collaboration with Gates VenturesLearn more about how TED-Ed partnerships work: https://bit.ly/TEDEdPartnerA special thanks to Ananda Bandyopadhyay, Amber Zeddies, and Kathleen O'Reilly who provided information and insights for the development of this video.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-real-reason-polio-is-so-dangerousDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-real-reason-polio-is-so-dangerous/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://antonbogaty.comMusic: https://www.wonderboyaudio.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Katie McDowell, Allen, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Xiao Yu, Melissa Suarez, Brian A. Dunn, Francisco Amaya, Daisuke Goto, Matt Switzler, Peng, Tzu-Hsiang, Bethany Connor, Jeremy Shimanek, Mark Byers, Avinash Amarnath, Xuebicoco, Rayo, Po Foon Kwong, Boffin, Jesse Jurman, Scott Markley, Elija Peterson, Ovidiu Mrd, paul g mohney, Steven Razey, Nathan Giusti, Helen Lee, Anthony Benedict, Karthik Balsubramanian, Annastasshia Ames, Amy Lopez, Vinh-Thuy Nguyen, Liz Candee, Ugur Doga Sezgin, Karmi Nguyen, John C. Vesey, Yelena Baykova, Nick Johnson, Carlos H. Costa, Jennifer Kurkoski, Ryan B Harvey, Akinola Emmanuel, Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Sebastiaan Vleugels, Karl Laius, JY Kang and Abhishek Goel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NOW PLAYING

The true reason polio poses such a threat

0:00 8:19

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

La Finanza in Soldoni Massimo Famularo - Hypercast Podcast e newsletter indipendente di informazione ed educazione finanziaria.Nessuno mi paga per vendervi niente e voi non mi pagate per dirvi in cosa investire. Newsletter http://lafinanzainsoldoni.substack.com/Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/c/MassimoFamularoBloghttps://massimofamularo.com/X(ex-Twitter)https://x.com/MassimoFamularo---Questo podcast fa parte di Hypercast Network — 📧 Per proposte commerciali scrivi a: [email protected] TED Talks Society and Culture Thought-provoking videos about life and being human, with ideas from business leaders, psychologists and researchers speaking onstage at the TED conference, TEDx events and partner events around the world. You can also download these and many other videos free on TED.com, with an interactive English transcript and subtitles in up to 80 languages. TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. TSOB w/ Dr. G--The Sex Ed of Blackfolk Dr. Tracie Q. Gilbert: Sexuality Educator and Podcaster T.S.O.B. with Dr. G is a weekly podcast that offers intellectual table talk about race and sexuality. Join educator and researcher Dr. Tracie Q. Gilbert as she chats with amazing sex educators, counselors, and therapists, applying a professional lens to sexiness, health and healing in the new millennium. Scar(r)ed For Life pjwrench A nostalgic, banter-full and analytical delve into all the TV shows, movies, games, books, and other media that scared (and scarred!) us s***less when we were children in the 90s. Ranging from the infamous to the obscure, from The Wizard of Oz to The Demon Headmaster, from Tomb Raider to fairytales, we’ve offer up 2 classic pieces of entertainment to reminisce and wax lyrical. Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of TED-Ed?

This episode is 8 minutes long.

When was this TED-Ed episode published?

This episode was published on May 29, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Explore what makes polio so dangerous, what is causing the 21st century resurgence of cases, and how we can eradicate the disease.--In 1952, polio was everywhere: killing or paralyzing roughly half a million people annually. Yet just 10 years later,...

Can I download this TED-Ed episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!