Polio Eradication
Polio cases have declined rapidly since 1985, but the fight isn't over. Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease, and for as little as US$0.60, a child can be protected against the virus for life. If we don't finish the fight right now, more than 10 million children under the age of five could be paralyzed by polio in the next 40 years.
After nearly 30 years, and after immunizing more than 2.5 billion children against polio, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of making history. We. Are. THIS. CLOSE.
When Rotary began the fight in 1985, polio affected 350,000 people, mostly children, in 125 countries every year. Since then, polio has been reduced by more than 99 percent.
Only 20 new cases were reported in 2017, and the wild polio virus today is confined to isolated pockets in only two countries. We truly are this close to ending polio forever.
With a weekly club drawing, Metro Rotary raises over $2,500 a year to help fund the fight.
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