End Polio Now

Welcome to the End Polio Now pages

End Polio Now is the most ambitious programme in Rotary's history.  For more than 30 years Rotary has led  the global effort to rid the world of this crippling disease. 

Nearly 3 billion children have been vaccinated, preventing more than 18 million people being paralysed. More than 650,000 paralytic cases of polio are now prevented every year. More than 1.8 million childhood deaths have been prevented.

Once polio is eradicated, the world will be able to celebrate a major global advantage that will benefit all children, whatever their origins.

The goal of a polio free world is tantalisingly close. Wild polio virus types 2 and 3 have been eradicated. The eradication of Type 3 was announced this year on World Polio Day.  Only in Pakistan and remote parts of Afghanistan is the Wild Type 1 polio virus circulating.

It's official - The WHO Africa Region has been declared wild polio-free!

Today, 25th August 2020, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Africa region, has officially been certified free from wild poliovirus , signifying a major milestone in the battle to eradicate the disease worldwide.

This progress is the result of a decades-long effort across the 47 countries which make up the WHO’s African region and now means that five of the six WHO regions, which represent 90% of the world’s population, will be free of wild polio.

Rotary members have played an invaluable role in the effort to rid the African region of wild polio.

By raising funds for polio eradication, advocating with world governments and national and local leaders, and raising awareness, Rotarians have contributed nearly US $890 million to conquer polio in the region.

Well done to all concerned!

Below are links to leaflets and fact sheets. You can click on each one to download it. The first two are also available to buy from the End Polio Now Guernsey website

Click here for a useful Basic Fact Sheet

Click here for a Polio Fact Sheet

Click here for the latest Summary of Facts and Figures

Latest Position for 2020 (as at 28th October 2020)

Afghanistan and Pakistan are now treated as a single area

116 cases of wild polio (WPV1) - an increase of 3 from last week. Last year at this time there were 73 cases.

 339 cVDPV cases

A new oral vaccine is undergoing advanced clinical trials and is likely to be in use later this year. This new vaccine will eliminate the risk of vaccine derived polio and is yet another big step towards complete eradication.

Final position for 2019 

147  WPV1 cases in Pakistan

29 WPV1 cases in Afghanistan

365  cVDPV cases

21 WPV1 cases in Afghanistan

12 WPV1 cases in Pakistan

20 cases of cVDPV in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 13 in Somalia, 32 in Nigeria, 8 in Niger, 26 in Papua New Guinea and 1 in Mozambique.

8 WPV1 cases in Pakistan

14 WPV1 cases in Afghanistan

22 cases of cVDPV in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 74 cases of cVDPV in Syria.  To read a full account of cVDPV in Syria, click here. To read a summary, click here

Here is a link to more information about the campaign and how you can donate

There are some links to specific fund raising initiatives for End Polio Now on the menu on the right.

Guernsey Rotary Club End Polio Now shop. Click here to buy bears, clothing and lots of items you can sell to raise funds