Rotary International

New Capabilities

Founding partner of global eradication effort

When the Global Polio Eradication Initiative launched in 1988, wild poliovirus paralyzed 350,000 children annually across 125 countries. Today, the disease survives in only two: Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan's nationwide vaccination campaign from February 2-8, 2026, reached 44.3 million of 45 million targeted children under five across 159 districts—achieving over 98% coverage in the final push to eliminate a disease that would become only the second human pathogen ever eradicated, after smallpox.

Updated Feb 13

Money Moves

Grassroots fundraising engine and advocacy network for polio eradication

Global donors used a pledging event in Abu Dhabi on 8 December 2025 to commit US$1.9 billion to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), temporarily stabilizing a flagship global health campaign that is facing a 30% budget cut in 2026 and a multi‑year funding gap. The largest pledges — US$1.2 billion from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and US$450 million from Rotary International — narrow the shortfall in GPEI’s 2022–2029 strategy to roughly US$440 million but do not fully close it. The event comes as wild poliovirus transmission has resurged in Afghanistan and Pakistan and vaccine‑derived polio continues to spark outbreaks in under‑immunized communities worldwide.

Updated Dec 11, 2025