Polio

In 1985 Rotary started its "PolioPlus" campaign to globally eliminate polio. At that time there were approximately 350,000 "wild" cases annually. Last year that number was 6, though the number for 2022 will be higher. Polio is now endemic to only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Several other organizations have joined this effort, including the World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Because of this:

  • 16 million people are walking who would otherwise have been paralyzed
  • A polio-free world will save $40 - $50 billion in health costs over the next 20 years
  • Polio can follow smallpox as the second human disease eliminated from the world
  • More than 2.5 billion children have received the oral polio vaccine
  • Rotarians have contributed over $1.7 billion to eliminate polio
  • We are this close to eliminating polio!