PolioPlus: 

What is Polio?:  It is an infectious disease caused by the polio virus.  Polio can cause paralysis of the muscles of the legs, arms and respiratory system.  It has been slowly diminishing in numbers since vaccination started.  The United States is considered free of the disease.  Ten countries still have endemic polio and several thousand new cases are diagnosed each year.  Polio is still alive and infecting many people, especially kids!

 Rotary:  What is it and how did it become involved in Polio eradication?

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.  In the 1970’s, Rotary International began a worldwide effort to eradicate polio.  The goal is to provide enough vaccinations to eliminate the disease that cripples and kills thousands in the world by Rotary’s 100^th anniversary in 2005.  In 1988 when Rotary began the world-wide immunization project, over 350,000 cases of polio were diagnosed.  In 2001 the number declined to 3500 new cases!

--written by members of the Midlakes Rotary Interact Club