World Polio Day October 24 was established by Rotary International more than 10 years ago. It is in honor of the birthday of Dr. Jonas Salk, who led the team that developed the first polio vaccine. Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. The virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can then attack the nervous system. Rotary, as a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we've reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. To end polio, we must stop transmission of the virus in the three countries where it remains endemic: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Learn more at Endpolio.org
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