PolioPlus is a Rotary International initiative that plans to eradicate polio from the world

Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease, polio (poliomyelitis) still strikes children mainly under the age of five. A short time ago Polio was said to affect four countries namely Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

A recent wild PolioVirus outbreak in southern Sudan has spread into parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.  In January Rotary Foundation Trustees approved $2.2 million in PolioPlus grants to support immunization activities there. An immunization campaign was held in southern Sudan 27-29 April, targeting more than 2.9 million children under age five. The next campaign is scheduled for 26-28 May.

Facts about Polio

Polio can cause paralysis and sometimes death. Because there is no cure for polio, the best protection is prevention. In the most severe cases, polio attacks the motor neurons of the brain stem, causing breathing difficulty or even death. It can cause paralysis within hours, and polio paralysis is almost always irreversible.

Historically, polio has been the world’s greatest cause of disability. If polio isn’t eradicated, the world will continue to live under the threat of the disease. More than 10 million children will be paralyzed in the next 40 years if the world fails to capitalize on its US$5 billion global investment in eradication ably supported by Rotary’s PolioPlus contribution.

For as little as US$0.60 worth of vaccine, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life.

Rotary’s Contribution

After 20 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but a strong push is needed now to root itout once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.

PolioPlus is Rotary’s flagship program. By the time polio is eradicated, Rotary club members will have contributed US$850 million and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than two billion children in 122 countries. Rotary is a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with the World Health
Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"As a health professional, working toward the eradication of a disease through PolioPlus has to be one of the greatest programs one can participate in." The words of Jenny Horton, a nurse and member of the Rotary Club of Kenmore, Queensland, Australia.

A child in Sudan receives oral polio vaccine. Photo
courtesy of World Health Organization