Ending polio
Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 45 years, and our goal of ridding the Earth of this disease is within reach.
Polio is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of five. The virus spreads from person to person, often through contaminated water, and can attack the nervous system.
Rotary launched its first vaccination initiative in the Philippines in 1979 and became a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Since then, polio cases have fallen by 99.9 percent. The disease remains endemic in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
99.9%
reduction in polio cases since 1985
3 billion
children vaccinated in 122 countries
US$2.9bn
contributed by Rotary in PolioPlus grants
