End Polio Now

Rotary's promise to end polio

Ending polio remains one of Rotary's highest humanitarian priorities. Rotary launched PolioPlus in 1985 and became a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988.

Working with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Gates Foundation, Gavi and national governments, Rotary and its partners have reduced polio cases worldwide by 99.9%.

Why the work must continue

Wild poliovirus remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Continued vaccination, disease surveillance, laboratory work and community engagement are essential to stop transmission and protect countries that are currently polio-free.

Rotary International warns that if eradication work stopped, polio could again paralyse as many as 200,000 children every year within a decade.

Rotary's impact

• Rotary has contributed more than US$2.9 billion to polio eradication.
• More than 3 billion children in 122 countries have been protected.
• In 2024 alone, around 270 million children were vaccinated with approximately 1 billion doses of oral polio vaccine.
• Donations to Rotary's polio campaign are matched 2-to-1 by the Gates Foundation, tripling their impact.

Learn more and help

Read the latest information from Rotary International and Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland.

You can also follow current progress, learn about World Polio Day and support the campaign at End Polio Now.

Page reviewed and updated in August 2026 using official Rotary International and Rotary GB&I information.