World Polio Day

Join us on October 24 for World Polio Day to share the progress of health experts and partners on the road to polio eradication.

Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a paralyzing and potentially fatal disease that still threatens children in some parts of the world. Poliovirus invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in hours. It can strike people of any age but mainly affects children under five. Polio can be prevented by vaccines, but it is not curable. Unlike most diseases, polio can be eradicated.

Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a paralyzing and potentially fatal disease that still threatens children in some parts of the world. Poliovirus invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in hours. It can strike people of any age but mainly affects children under five. Polio can be prevented by vaccines, but it is not curable. Unlike most diseases, polio can be eradicated.

At the end of the 1980s, more than 350,000 children were paralyzed by polio every year. Today, Rotary and its partners have reduced the incidence of polio by 99.9 percent. However, until we see the last of the poliovirus, eradication efforts need additional funding to:

• IMMUNIZE more than 400 million children against polio every year
• IMPROVE disease surveillance systems to detect any poliovirus in a person or the environment
• HIRE more than 150,000 health workers to go door to door to find every child

Learn more about how to take action and participate on World Polio Day at the Rotary website.