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 it out once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.
Challenges to polio eradication
Health experts agree that these primary challenges must be overcome in order to reach the goal of polio eradication:
Halting the spread of the poliovirus in the four remaining endemic countries (Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan), which continue to export it to polio-free areas
Curbing the intense spread of the poliovirus in northern Nigeria and western Uttar Pradesh, India
Rapidly stopping polio outbreaks in previously polio-free countries
Addressing low routine-immunization rates and surveillance gaps in polio-free areas
Maintaining funding and political commitment to implement the eradication strategies
Contribute to Stopping Polio
The biggest obstacles to eradicating polio are the underfunding of the global initiative and insufficient political commitment from the remaining polio-affected countries. Rotary International believes the primary source for additional funds can and should be governments of polio-free industrialized countries. Your contribution through Rotary will help ensure that we keep doing our part to get the job done.
Contribute to Rotary's $200 Million Challenge
Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge is the Rotary Foundation's response to the two grants totaling $355 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help eradicate polio. Every dollar given to PolioPlus will be counted toward the $200 million match, which must be completed by 30 June 2012.
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countries (Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan), which continue to export it to polio-free areas