Thank you D5340 and its members for your continued support of Rotary International Foundation’s top funding priority of eradicating Polio worldwide. Since Rotary began its efforts in 1988, we have seen a worldwide reduction in polio cases of 99.9%. Only two countries remain polio-endemic: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Unfortunately, one case of Wild Polio Virus Type 1 (WPV1) was confirmed in a three-year old in Pakistan on February 20th of this year. This is the first case worldwide of WPV1 this year, with the last case having occurred in Pakistan on September 15, 2022. A snapshot of the progress we’ve made can be found on the chart below.
To end polio, we must stop transmission of wild poliovirus in the two countries that continue to report cases: Afghanistan and Pakistan. If polio is not fully eradicated, we could see a global resurgence of the disease with as many as 200,000 new cases each year over the next 10 years, all over the world.
For more information, or to make a gift, please visit: Home | End Polio. A gift at any level will be matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. If you are interested in joining the District 5340’s PolioPlus Society with an annual gift of $100 to PolioPlus, please visit: Welcome | District 5340 (rotary5340.org).