Funded by Rotary, WHO, UNICEF, the U.S. CDC, governments around the world, and later also by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (now the Gates Foundation).
Polio Project Results in 2026
- More than 2.5 billion children vaccinated against polio in 122 countries
• More than 99.9% of polio paralysis cases prevented
• More than 20 million cases of paralytic disease prevented
• More than 1.5 million child deaths prevented
Polio in One Country Is a Threat to Everyone
- Even when no paralytic cases are reported, the poliovirus may still be circulating within the population.
- Only one in 100 to one in 1,000 people infected with poliovirus develops severe paralytic symptoms. However, nearly all infected individuals (99-99.9%) shed the virus in their stool and can therefore transmit it to others.
- Viral infections and disease outbreaks can easily spread across the world through human travel and migration.
Challenges to the Global Polio Eradication Program
- Pandemics (delays and cancellations of vaccination campaigns)
• Wars, conflicts, and humanitarian crises (Gaza, Ukraine, and others)
• Earthquakes and floods (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Nepal)
• Remote mountainous terrain (children beyond the reach of vaccination teams)
• Violence (vaccinators and security personnel have been attacked and killed)
• Weakening national economies
• Climate change
• The number of unvaccinated children has increased globally since the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of these nearly 15 million children live in countries affected by conflict. Even in prosperous Western countries, some children have missed polio vaccinations. For example, Germany’s 21,000 unvaccinated children are not a minor issue but a warning sign.
World Polio Day
World Polio Day is observed every year on October 24. On this occasion, Rotary members raise awareness about polio and organize fundraising activities and events in communities around the world. All proceeds are directed in full to the PolioPlus program.
Learn more about World Polio Day, find an event near you, or register your own event!
Written by Virpi Honkala, Merja Roivainen ja Irmeli Viherluoto-Lindström
