The Progress to End Polio

Tough Cookies: Knowing what it takes to conquer polio, survivors refuse to crumble under a new threat.

How Rotary became the Heart and Soul of Polio Eradication

There were just three of us at the time. There was so much opposition, but we had faith that this is just the beginning of a whole new horizon for Rotary. If we, all of us, knew then what we know now, I doubt we would have taken it on. It was a huge dream.

"The journey to ridding the African region of one of the most devastating diseases of all time is one of courage, determination and collective effort."

“This short documentary was filmed on the ground in India. Our Co-founder, Soren Dickens, traveled to Delhi with a Rotary group to film Rotarians distributing a vaccine to children in a worldwide effort to eradicate polio. The trip took the group to places such as the majestic Taj Mahal, "The Pink City", and Amer Fort, while also exposing the group to the villages where the vaccinations took place.”

An animated video, from the GPEI, explaining the relationships between gender and polio eradication.

"Containment of polioviruses is crucial to securing a lasting polio-free world. Polioviruses will be kept after eradication in a limited number of laboratories and vaccine manufacturing facilities worldwide. Containment of these viruses is about making sure that safeguards are in place to minimize the risk of their release into communities, which could have devastating consequences."

"When I asked Bill Gates, 63, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, why polio, he began, 'Polio is a terrible disease.' An hour later, speaking to a group of Rotarians in Spokane, Washington, he said, “You know, we're going to get to the end of this and Rotary will be the reason that will happen.” Devin Thorpe

Travel with Patience Asiimwe to a remote region of Uganda to vaccinate children who otherwise would be missed. See how far she will go to make sure every child in her country is protected from polio.

Anand Balachandran, former Coordinator Polio Transition, speaks to the GPEI about ensuring the infrastructure built up to eradicate polio will continue to benefit broader public health goals, long after the disease has been eradicated.

"Polio surveillance is essential to win the fight against polio."

Honorine Mollard Billard, Polio Eradication Officer at WHO, speaks to the GPEI about critical country support to vaccination campaigns in Lao PDR, why it is important for polio-free countries to maintain high immunity, and the additional health interventions offered to communities during a polio campaign.