Someday polio will be eradicated from the Earth. This was once an almost impossible dream. Now, that day could happen in the next couple of years.

In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO), together with Rotary International, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention passed the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, with the goal of eradicating polio. That year there were an estimated 350,000 cases of polio. The strategy was to provide mass vaccination. The task was daunting, but in theory it was doable. The cost of a dose of the vaccine is only 30¢ per child.

Here (from Wikipedia) is the current situation. 37 wild cases have been reported worldwide by last  August 16th: 29 in Pakistan and 8 in Afghanistan. The last wild case reported in Nigeria was on 24 July 2014, a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s fight against polio. On August 17 2015, the WHO announced that Somalia was free of polio. Then, in early September, there was an outbreak in western Ukraine due to low immunization levels. Polio is highly infectious, and until it is truly eradicated, it is still with us.

Please help with your contribution. Your donation will allow you to become an active participant in one of humanity’s greatest victories — and it will bring that day when polio is gone just a bit closer.

World Polio Day is on October 23. Join Rotary International for the third annual World Polio Day event. It will be streamed live from New York City, so tune in at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time to watch a global status update on the fight to end polio and to take part in the conversation. Guests will include Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, celebrity ambassadors, polio survivors, and others.