The Fight Against Polio: A Legacy of Courage and Compassion

In the early 1950s, polio was one of the most feared diseases in the world. Outbreaks paralyzed or killed more than half a million people every year, striking children without warning and leaving lifelong scars on families and communities. Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt was afflicted by polio, leading him to found the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis — later known as the March of Dimes — to fight this devastating virus. Thanks to the introduction of the first effective vaccines by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1955 and Dr. Albert Sabin in 1961, the world began to see hope. But it was Rotary International that transformed that hope into global action.

Rotary’s Unwavering Commitment to Eradication

In 1985, Rotary launched PolioPlus — the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector public health initiative in history. Since then, Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the CDC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) have reduced global cases of polio by over 99.9%. What once crippled 350,000 children each year now affects fewer than 20 cases worldwide. Rotary has contributed more than $2.6 billion and countless volunteer hours toward vaccination campaigns reaching over 2.5 billion children. Every donation truly matters: a single dose of oral polio vaccine costs just about 15 cents, meaning that $1 protects six children, $10 can safeguard an entire classroom, and $100 can protect a village from this paralyzing disease.

A Call to Finish the Fight

While the progress is extraordinary, the fight isn’t over. If polio immunization efforts were to stop today, experts estimate that within ten years the disease could reemerge and paralyze over 200,000 children annually around the world. Rotary’s commitment — our commitment — ensures that doesn’t happen. October is World Polio Month, a time when clubs like ours renew our pledge to end this disease once and for all. Every dollar we give is tripled by the Gates Foundation, multiplying our impact and bringing us closer to the day when no child, anywhere, will ever have to fear polio again. Together, we can truly say we were part of history — the generation that ended polio forever.

Sic Vos Non Vobis