Poliomyelitis (polio), a highly infectiousdisease, is triggered by a virus that invadesthe nervous system and can cause muscleparalysis and other serious healthcomplications.

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Polio mainly strikes children under five years of age.Once a world-wide health threat, the wild poliovirusis now endemic in only four countries: Afghanistan,India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Thanks to thedevelopment of thepolio vaccine in the1950s, the disease isnow preventable.

Today, Rotary International and its partners in the GlobalPolio Eradication Initiative - the World HealthOrganisation, UNICEF, and the US Centre for DiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC) - are immunising childrenworld-wide to reach the goal of a polio-free world.

1985350,000 cases125 countries

2008< 1,500 cases4 countries

Since Rotary began its PolioPlus programme, the number of polio cases world-wide hasdeclined by more than 99 per cent, and the number of non-endemic countries has droppedto four - Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan - the lowest in history.

Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland www.thanksforlife.org