The eradication of polio is one of Rotary's longest standing and most significant efforts. October 24th is "World Polio Day" and a time for Rotary members, public health advocates, and all who want a world free from polio to come together, recognize our progress in the fight to end polio, and talk about the actions we need to take in order to end polio for good. When we eradicate polio worldwide, it will join smallpox as the second human disease ever to be eradicated.
Thanks to the work of Rotary and our partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), polio cases have been reduced by 99.9% worldwide since 1988. By working together with our partners, governments, and communities around the world, we've immunized over 3 billion children in 122 countries. As of August, 2026, only Pakistan (2) and Afghanistan (3) have reported new onset cases of Polio, so far, in 2026. We are closer than ever to eradication polio but we're not done yet. We still need funds to continue immunizations and surveillance efforts. All donations are matched 2-1 by the Gates Foundation, tripling your impact. It is critical for us to continue our efforts to eradicate polio for good because one child paralyzed by this vaccine-preventable disease is one child too many.
