End Polio Now

No child should lose the freedom to run, play and dream because of a disease we can prevent. Yet one missed vaccine can be all it takes for polio to steal a child’s future—and return to an entire community.

Poliovirus—usually known simply as polio—spreads from person to person, often through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system and, in some cases, cause paralysis. An infected person can shed the virus into the environment for several weeks, allowing it to move quickly through communities, particularly where sanitation is poor and immunisation rates are low.

There is no cure—but there are safe and effective vaccines. Since 1988, Rotary and its partners have used them to immunise more than 3 billion children worldwide. As a result, millions of people are walking today who might otherwise have been paralysed by polio.

But progress can be reversed. If Rotary and its partners stopped eradication efforts today, as many as 200,000 new cases of paralytic polio could occur worldwide every year within a decade. In 1985, 39,361 cases were reported around the world. By October 2026, that figure stood at 42.

24 October 2026 is World Polio Day and since 1985 Cardiff East Rotary has actively supported Rotary’s work to End Polio. To mark World Polio Day, we will be fundraising again as well as having fun. Wednesday 21 Ocober our meeting was opened by President Clive and Polio Team Leader Paul Members having their little fingernail varnished purple until world polio day. Why a Purple finger, purple dye was used to show a child had been vaccinated against polio by Rotary at a vaccination centre. Some Members will walk a mile on World Polio Day, while others like International Team Helen are swimming the mile and she will be wearing a purple swimming hat. Our meeting also lit up for Rotary with our Polio Bear the guest of honour. With the evening finishing with a rapid quiz challenge.

We are closer than ever—but “almost” is not enough. Let’s keep vaccines moving, communities protected and the promise of a polio-free world alive. https://www.endpolio.org/en/what-is-polio