Polio is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5 by attacking the nervous system, often leading to paralysis and even death.  There is no cure for polio, but there is a safe and highly effective vaccine.

In 1988 when Rotary International began its initiative to eradicate polio, there were 350,000 cases in 125 countries.  Today cases have been reduced by 99.9% with Pakistan and Afghanistan being the only two countries in which polio is still endemic.
Over the years Rotary International has been joined in its fight by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the CDC and the Gates Foundation which for several years now has matched every dollar raised for polio eradication with $2 of its own.
The COVID pandemic has taught us that in today’s world, diseases in distant lands can easily travel and spread throughout our country.  Even though we’re on the verge of polio eradication, it’s important that we don’t give up until the job is done.  If we stop now, within 10 years as many as 200,000 new cases could occur around the world each year.  Our work to end polio forever continues.