Situation Update October 2026: 58 cases (Pakistan 8, Afghanistan 50)
On September 29, 1979, Rotarians organized an event in Manila together with the Philippine Ministry of Health, where volunteers administered oral polio vaccine to children.
This first “3-H Grant Project” (Health, Hunger and Humanity, the predecessor of today’s Global Grants), in which 6 million children received polio vaccinations (USD 760,000), was highly successful.
Polio situation in October 2026 – 58 cases (Afghanistan 50 and Pakistan 8)
On September 29, 1979, Rotarians organized an event in Manila together with the Philippine Ministry of Health, where volunteers administered oral polio vaccine to children.
This first “3-H Grant Project” (Health, Hunger and Humanity, the predecessor of today’s Global Grants), in which 6 million children received polio vaccinations (USD 760,000), was highly successful.
POLIO ERADICATION BECAME ROTARY’S HIGHEST PRIORITY AND REMAINS SO IN 2026–2027
- In 1985, Rotarians began preparing the PolioPlus program with the goal of eradicating polio worldwide.
- In 1988, the PolioPlus program was launched. The World Health Organization (WHO) began coordinating the program, and in addition to Rotary, funding came from WHO, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), governments, and later also the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, now known as the Gates Foundation.
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE POLIO ERADICATION PROGRAM:
- The Americas were declared polio-free in 1994.
- Europe was declared polio-free in 2002.
- India was declared polio-free in 2014.
- Africa was declared polio-free in 2020.
TWO OF THE THREE POLIOVIRUS TYPES HAVE ALREADY BEEN ERADICATED WORLDWIDE
Wild Poliovirus Type 3 was officially declared eradicated in 2019, and
Wild Poliovirus Type 2 had already been officially declared eradicated in 2015.
Only Wild Poliovirus Type 1 remains, along with genetically mutated VDPV viruses that can cause paralytic disease and originate from the originally live attenuated oral polio vaccine.
WE ROTARIANS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN ENSURING THAT POLIO IS ERADICATED FROM THE WORLD! THERE ARE NO BIOLOGICAL OR TECHNICAL OBSTACLES TO ERADICATING POLIO. IT DEPENDS SOLELY ON THE DECISIONS AND CHOICES WE MAKE TODAY!
