COUNTDOWN TO HISTORY

END POLIO NOW

Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 30 years.  Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.  We've helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries.  So far, Rotary has contributed more than 1.8 billion toward eradicating the disease worldwide.

Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan.  But it's crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free.  If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.

"We are achingly close to getting rid of polio – more than 99 percent of the way there.  Finishing the job is a big challenge, but it is very doable if we keep up the effort."  – Bill Gates