Progress in the Fight Against Polio is Proof Vaccines Work
From 12 cases of wild poliovirus every 15 minutes in 1988 to 12 cases total in 2023, mass immunization campaigns led by Rotary and its Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners have reduced the incidence of polio by 99.9% worldwide over the past 35 years.
Through the science of immunization, over 20 million children have been prevented from becoming paralyzed by polio. That’s why as we approach World Immunization Week at the end of April, as a Rotary member, I am pleased to recognize this progress as proof that vaccines work.
However, polio anywhere is a threat everywhere, and I ask everyone to help us finish the job and end polio for good to ensure that this paralyzing disease does not return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk.
From encouraging vaccine acceptance, to sharing factual vaccination information, to calling on elected officials to fund polio eradication efforts, there are so many ways in which we can each support immunization as the foundation of a polio-free world. Let’s all do our part to prevent polio outbreaks in our own communities and continue the march toward ending polio for good.
We have an opportunity to make history by ending only the second human disease after smallpox, and the time for action is now--visit endpolio.org to learn more about how you can get involved. You c
an also visit the ENDPOLIONOW website to learn more about our fight. https://www.endpolio.org/
an also visit the ENDPOLIONOW website to learn more about our fight. https://www.endpolio.org/