End Polio Now

Fighting Disease Foundation
 
Be a part of the final push to eradicate Polio. For polio eradication efforts, 2022 brought good news. Fewer genetic strains of the virus are circulating than ever before. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. And support from political, medical, and community leaders in those areas has strengthened vaccination efforts during the past year. Global support for polio eradication also reached new heights, as was proven at the World Health Summit in October, when Rotary and international partners and donors pledged a combined US$2.6 billion to eradicate the disease. Here's a few ways you can get involved:
  1. Join the District 6250 Polio Plus Society
  2. Learn about how efforts in 2022 paid off in a big way
  3. Make your donation online at www.rotary.org/donate and select the Polio Fund
Keep reading for more info and ways you can help.

There were challenges in 2022 as well. The poliovirus appeared in places it hasn’t been for a long time: Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to name a few. Wild poliovirus cases were reported in Mozambique, related to the 2021 case in Malawi caused by wild poliovirus imported from Pakistan. News of these cases didn’t slow our eradication efforts, however. If anything, it made us even more determined. Now is our best chance to finish the fight against polio.

In 2023, we need everyone’s help. We invite you to use the call to action “Together, we end polio” to express our collective will to finish the job.  Explore the shareable images, ads, and other materials on Rotary’s Brand Center, and check again throughout the year, because we’ll add even more content. Let’s work together to end this disease forever.

Promote the power of vaccines for World Immunization Week this April

With decades of experience in polio eradication, Rotary members play a key role in publicizing the power of vaccines. In part because Rotary members and partners have worked so hard to counteract vaccine hesitancy and reach all children with the polio vaccine, we’ve immunized billions of children against the disease.

World Immunization Week, 24-30 April, is an opportunity for Rotary and Rotaract clubs to spread the message that vaccines save lives. It’s critical to continue polio vaccinations for children around the world and to advocate for COVID-19 vaccinations for all.

Download the World Immunization Week Toolkit

For more Polio eradication news and updates, click here.