Ending Polio
Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease that mainly affects children under five. There is no cure, but a safe, inexpensive vaccine protects a child for life. Ending polio has been Rotary’s top priority since 1985, when Rotary launched its PolioPlus programme.
Through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary and its partners have helped vaccinate billions of children, and polio cases have fallen by more than 99.9% since 1988. In 2020 the WHO African Region, including Uganda, was certified free of wild poliovirus. Until polio is stopped everywhere, every child still needs protecting.
We are this close to ending polio. Every child we help vaccinate brings the world one step nearer to a polio-free future.
Protecting every child
Our members join Rotary clubs across Kampala in supporting immunisation campaigns and community outreach, so that no child misses a dose.
What we focus on
- Supporting national immunisation days
- Mobilising parents and caregivers
- World Polio Day awareness and fundraising
- Giving to Rotary’s PolioPlus programme
- Working with health workers and partner clubs
How we work
Polio can only be stopped when almost every child is protected. We support national and district immunisation days and help mobilise families to bring their children for the oral polio vaccine.
On World Polio Day, 24 October, and throughout the year, members raise awareness and funds for PolioPlus, Rotary’s polio eradication programme.
The networks built to fight polio, from cold chains to disease surveillance, also help communities respond to measles, cholera and other outbreaks.
