Rotary’s PolioPlus program is one of the most significant global health initiatives ever undertaken — and it remains Rotary’s top humanitarian priority. Since launching PolioPlus in 1985, Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have reduced polio cases worldwide by more than 99.9%, helping protect over 3 billion children from paralysis.

PolioPlus funds the full backbone of eradication work: vaccines, transportation, surveillance, outbreak response, and frontline health workers who reach children in even the most remote or conflict‑affected areas. Rotary has contributed over $2.6 billion to this effort, with additional billions matched through partners like the Gates Foundation.

Although wild poliovirus now remains endemic in only Afghanistan and Pakistan, continued support is essential. As long as polio exists anywhere, children everywhere remain at risk. PolioPlus also strengthens broader health systems — the “Plus” refers to the additional benefits created through polio infrastructure, including support for other childhood vaccines including possibly fatal measles, vitamin A distribution, and disease surveillance networks.

Rotarians worldwide continue to push toward the finish line. With sustained commitment, Rotary is determined to make polio the second human disease ever eradicated (small pox being the first) and leave behind a legacy of stronger global health systems for generations to come.