Our Rotary Club has a long history of supporting the Rotary International 35 plus year initiative to End Polio worldwide. Because of generous members like ours the CDC reports that only two polio endemic countries remain, Afghanistan and Pakistan. 
 
 
During the past Rotary year of 2021-2022 our Rotary members exceeded our goal by 42% with $639 donated in support of End Polio Now.
 
What is polio?

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. The virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can then attack the nervous system.

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.

As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we've reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.

Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.

Explore the history of Rotary and polio eradication

By the numbers

  • $3 average cost to fully protect a child against polio
  • 430 million children in total vaccinated in 39 countries as of 2017
  • $100 million cost to conduct polio surveillance worldwide

Help us End this dreaded disease for the children in Afghanistan and Pakistan by clicking here.