Help Rotary and Its PolioPlus partners deliver more than vaccines

||| FROM BARBARA MARRETT for SAN JUAN ISLANDS ROTARY CLUB |||

World Polio Day, October 24, is an opportunity to unite in support of Rotary International’s longstanding mission to eradicate polio. That effort goes beyond vaccines: polio cases can reveal gaps in health systems, and contaminated water can spread the virus and other diseases. Alongside vaccination, access to safe drinking water is a vital part of the fight to end polio.

The Rotary Club of the San Juan Islands supports polio eradication with proceeds from its annual Car Show. The “Plus” in PolioPlus includes water filtration and hygiene training in places such as Pakistan. Over decades, these efforts have built trust in communities where vaccination once met resistance. In late 2025, a combined polio, measles and rubella vaccination campaign in Pakistan reached more than 19 million children, according to the International PolioPlus committee.

Over $84,000 towards polio eradication has been donated by the local Rotary club of the San Juan Islands since the club’s inception 23 years ago. This does not include the over $100,000 that local Rotarians donate individually.

Rotary International is a founding member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which has reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since its first project to vaccinate children. As there is no cure for polio, the best protection is prevention. For as little as 60 cents worth of vaccine, a child can be protected against the disease for life.

Polio remains endemic in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, recent outbreaks in previously polio-free areas and detections of poliovirus in sewage across several European countries demonstrate that polio remains a threat to children everywhere. Fragile health systems and competing priorities continue to challenge eradication efforts.

Thanks to a two-one match from the Gates Foundation, every donation made at https://www.endpolio.org/donate will be tripled. After an international investment of more than $9 billion, and the successful engagement of over 200 countries and 20 million volunteers, polio could be the first human disease of the 21st century to be eradicated. Help us see this fight to the end!

Attend a Local Rotary Meeting
You are invited to attend a local Rotary breakfast meeting held every Wednesday at the Friday Harbor Suites at 8:15 am. You may also attend via ZOOM. For more information about the club, visit: https://rotarydistrict5050.org/clubinfo/san-juan-islands/