World Polio Day
One Day. One Focus: Ending Polio
24 October is World Polio Day — a day when Rotary members, public health partners and communities around the world come together around one of Rotary’s most ambitious commitments: a world free from polio.
In 2026, World Polio Day falls at the heart of the Public Image & Rotaract Summit in Samsun. This gives us an opportunity to do more than mark an important date. It allows us to connect Rotary’s global promise with public trust, partnership, communication and visible action.
Why Polio Matters to Rotary
Rotary began its fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunise children in the Philippines. In 1988, Rotary became a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, joining governments and international health organisations in an unprecedented global effort to eradicate a human disease.
Since then, wild poliovirus cases have fallen by more than 99.9%. Rotary has contributed more than US$2.9 billion through PolioPlus and countless volunteer hours, helping protect more than three billion children in 122 countries.
Today, wild poliovirus remains endemic in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Two of the three types of wild poliovirus have already been eradicated.
Closer Than Ever — But Not Finished
The extraordinary progress of the past decades can make polio feel like a disease of the past. It is not.
As long as poliovirus continues to circulate anywhere, children everywhere remain potentially at risk. Maintaining high vaccination coverage, strong surveillance and the ability to respond rapidly to outbreaks remains essential.
This is why the final stage matters so much. Eradication means reaching the last child, detecting the last transmission and protecting the achievement long after the last case has disappeared.
World Polio Day in Samsun
Saturday, 24 October 2026, is both World Polio Day and the second main working day of the Public Image & Rotaract Summit.
The Summit programme therefore creates a dedicated space for World Polio Day, including a shared activation in Samsun developed with the support of District 2430 and local Rotary and Rotaract clubs.
The purpose is not simply to commemorate Rotary’s history. It is to make the commitment visible, understandable and relevant today — and to connect local action in Samsun with a global effort involving millions of people.
Further details of the Samsun World Polio Day activation will be announced as the local programme is finalised.
A Story of Public Trust
Polio eradication also belongs naturally within the wider conversation of this Summit.
It demonstrates what becomes possible when an organisation makes a long-term promise and continues to act on it. It connects scientific evidence, international cooperation, local volunteers, sustained advocacy, fundraising and the trust of communities.
For a Summit exploring Public Image as Public Trust, the fight to end polio offers a powerful real-world example: credibility is built when values are followed by consistent action, measurable results and the determination to stay until the work is finished.
Be Part of History
World Polio Day is an opportunity to learn, speak, share and act. Rotary members can help keep polio visible in their communities, support PolioPlus, share credible information about eradication and encourage others to become part of the effort.
We have come too far to stop now.
A polio-free world would be one of the greatest public health achievements in history — and proof that sustained cooperation across countries, communities and generations can create lasting change.
World Polio Day — Rotary International
World Polio Day Resources
