In 1988, the world committed to eradicating polio. The WHO European Region was declared polio-free in 2002. On World Polio Day (24 October), WHO and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, an alliance of key partners and stakeholders, call on countries and parents to stay vigilant in the fight against this disease. Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) is a symptom that indicates the possible presence of poliovirus! Several importations of polioviruses into the European Region have been detected since the Region was declared polio-free. Each event was detected thanks to functional national polio surveillance and the ensuing outbreaks were stopped. The 2010 importation of wild virus into Tajikistan was the largest outbreak to date in the Region since 2002.
Around the world, people who support the fight to end polio take pride in Rotary’s End Polio Now logo. This shows that they are part of a monumental effort to eliminate a human disease for only the second time in history. This logo marks the polio vaccine coolers used on National Immunization Days. It’s printed on clothing and has been projected onto iconic buildings. It was even taken to the heights of Mount Kilimanjaro as a flag.
