What is Polio?

Poliomyelitis is a highly contagious infectious disease that mainly affects children under the age of five. The virus is transmitted through personal contact and is most often found in contaminated water. The pathogen affects the central nervous system and leads to paralysis and sometimes death. The disease cannot be cured, but vaccination can prevent infection. Rotary and its partners in the global polio initiative use these vaccines to provide vaccination protection for all children worldwide. So far, 2.5 BILLION children have been immunized.

Spread of polio in 1985

When Rotary launched the PolioPlus program in 1985, polio was still widespread throughout the world:

Spread of polio 2018

Since 1988 the number of cases has been reduced by 99.9%. Until the virus is completely eradicated, however, all children in the world are still at risk.

In order not to frustrate the efforts of the polio campaigns, it is important that polio is fought until it is completely eradicated. Rotary has an important role to play in this effort.

Rotary is the heart and soul of polio eradication