It is incredibly inspiring to look at how far the world has come in the fight against polio. This highly infectious disease, caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system, once cast a shadow of fear over families globally. For decades, it was a leading cause of permanent disability in children.

Here is a breakdown of how polio impacted humanity, how the world has fought back, and the monumental role Rotary International has played in bringing us to the brink of eradication.

The Deep Impact of Polio

Polio primarily targets children under the age of five. While many who contracted the virus experienced mild, flu-like symptoms, about 1 in 200 cases led to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs. When the virus attacked the muscles controlling breathing, it became rapidly fatal.

During the mid-20th century, polio outbreaks paralysed hundreds of thousands of children annually. The image of ward rooms lined with “iron lungs”—massive, negative-pressure ventilator cylinders that mechanically forced air in and out of paralysed lungs—became an enduring symbol of the disease’s terrifying impact. For survivors, the physical toll lasted a lifetime, requiring leg braces, crutches, or wheelchairs, alongside a profound emotional and economic burden on their families.

The Strategy for Eradication

The tide began to turn in the 1950s and 60s with the development of the Salk (inactivated) and Sabin (oral) polio vaccines. Because the poliovirus relies entirely on human hosts to survive, scientists realised it could be entirely wiped off the face of the earth if enough people were immunised.

Eradication requires a massive, coordinated strategy. Health workers use National Immunisation Days to systematically vaccinate tens of millions of children at once. Because the virus can circulate silently in people without symptoms, teams also rely heavily on environmental surveillance—testing sewage water in at-risk areas to catch hidden outbreaks before clinical cases of paralysis occur.

Rotary’s Historic Contribution

Before Rotary International stepped up, global disease eradication was seen as a job strictly for governments. Rotary changed that mindset forever. In 1979, they launched a grassroots effort to immunise 6 million children in the Philippines. The stunning success of that project inspired them to launch PolioPlus in 1985—the first and largest private-sector initiative explicitly dedicated to global public health.

In 1988, Rotary teamed up with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, and the CDC to form the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). Rotary’s impact on this initiative cannot be overstated:

  • Tremendous Fundraising: Rotary has contributed more than $3 billion in direct funding to the eradication effort. Through a long-standing partnership, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation matches Rotary’s fundraising 2-to-1, amplifying every dollar raised to support frontline vaccine delivery.
  • Political Advocacy: Rotarians have used their business and community networks to lobby world governments, helping secure over $11 billion in additional public funding for global health.
  • Boots on the Ground: Beyond writing checks, millions of Rotary volunteers have traveled to volatile regions, physically administering the oral vaccine drops to children and navigating complex cultural and logistical barriers.

The Last Mile

The results of this partnership are jaw-dropping. In 1988, polio was paralysing an estimated 350,000 children every year across 125 countries. Today, global cases have been reduced by 99.9%. Wild poliovirus remains endemic in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The “last mile” is proving to be the hardest, as health workers must braving active conflict sones, vaccine misinformation, and geometric challenges to reach every final child. However, thanks to the foundation built by Rotary, the world is tantalisingly close to making polio only the second human disease in history (after smallpox) to be permanently wiped out.

Verwood Rotary continues to financially support the global effort the eradicate this condition.