25th September 2022
Rotary International and our global charity, The Rotary Foundation, have been at the forefront of the fight against polio since 1979.
There are currently just two countries in the world where polio is endemic, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with 21 cases of wild polio virus in children so far in 2022. However as we have seen over the last few months, while polio exists, there is the risk of spread across other countries. The recent finds of polio virus in environmental samples at a sewage treatment plant in London led to an immunisation campaign for nearly one million children.
As the BBC said in its news item on 22nd June, it’s complicated:
“The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it was probably imported to London by someone who was recently vaccinated overseas with a live form of the virus.
It says the risk is low, but parents should ensure their children have been fully immunised against the disease.”
In this country, as in many countries with strong public health infrastructure, we receive the inactivated polio vaccine, and this does not result in the virus reaching the sewage systems. However in countries where there are still cases of polio, the live vaccine is more effective.
The BBC explained the situation well:
Urgent polio boosters for London children – BBC News 10th August 2022
Polio virus detected in London sewage samples – BBC News 22nd June 2022
Rotary International is a key partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, working alongside the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, the US Centers for Disease Control, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi the vaccine alliance.
The GPEI works in around 45 countries, not just in the final two endemic countries. The investment is huge – by governments, by Rotary, by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others.
Rotary’s target is 50 million USD each year and for over ten years, this has been matched two for one by the Gates Foundation, meaning up to 100 million USD each year.
Rotary across the Thames Valley supporting Polio Eradication
Rotary clubs across our district in the Thames Valley continue to support the polio campaign, with events, collections and events to raise awareness of the work.
Many clubs plant purple crocus corns each year, often with schools and other community groups. Why purple? When children are vaccinated in the mass vaccination campaigns in countries such as India and Pakistan, their little finger is marked with purple ink. So in Great Britain and Ireland we promote ‘Purple for Polio’.
In the five years to June 2022, our clubs across the Thames Valley had raised 252,177 USD for polio eradication. With the Gates Foundation match this became 756,531 USD.
Rotarians in Faringdon have raised 7,969 USD over the same period, becoming 23,907 USD with the Gates Foundation matching.
The History
extracts of the timeline from https://www.endpolio.org/what-is-polio#Facts (from 1894 to 2020)
1979: Rotary International begins its fight against polio with a multi-year project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines.
1985: Rotary International launches PolioPlus, the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector support of a public health initiative, with an initial fundraising target of US$120 million.
1988: Rotary International and the World Health Organization launch the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. There are an estimated 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries.
1995: Health workers and volunteers immunize 165 million children in China and India in 1 week. Rotary launches the PolioPlus Partners program, enabling Rotary members in polio-free countries to provide support to fellow members in polio-affected countries for polio eradication activities.
2003: The Rotary Foundation raises $119 million in a 12-month campaign. Rotary’s total contribution to polio eradication exceeds $500 million. Six countries remain polio-endemic – Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan.
2004: In Africa, synchronized National Immunization Days in 23 countries target 80 million children, the largest coordinated polio immunization effort on the continent.
2006: The number of polio-endemic countries drops to 4 – Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Pakistan.
2009: Rotary’s overall contribution to the eradication effort nears $800 million. In January, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledges $355 million and issues Rotary a challenge grant of $200 million. This announcement will result in a combined $555 million in support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
2014: India goes 3 full years without a new case caused by the wild poliovirus, and the World Health Organization certifies the South-East Asia region polio-free. Polio cases are down over 99% since 1988.
2019: Nigeria goes 3 full years without a new case caused by the wild poliovirus.
2020: The World Health Organization certifies the African region wild polio-free.
To read more about polio eradication visit
Rotary’s End Polio Now website https://www.endpolio.org/
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative website https://polioeradication.org/
Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland magazine https://www.rotarygbi.org/magazine/august-september-2022/