International Perspective
To sustain this progress , and protect all children from polio , experts say $ 1.5 billion is urgently needed . Without full funding and political commitment , this paralyzing disease could return to previously polio-free countries , putting children everywhere at risk . Rotary has contributed more than $ 1.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio . Through 2018 , every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-toone by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $ 35 million a year .
Rotary launched its polio immunization program PolioPlus in 1985 , and in 1988 became a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the World Health Organization ( WHO ), UNICEF , U . S . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ), and was later joined by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation . Since the initiative launched , the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent , from about 350,000 cases a year to 26 confirmed to date in 2016 .
In addition to supporting the response in the Lake Chad Basin region , funding has been allocated to support polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan ($ 5.55 million ), Pakistan ($ 12.36 million ), India ($ 875,000 ), Somalia ($ 1.77 million ), South Sudan ($ 2.04 million ), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo ($ 2 million ). A final grant in the amount of $ 2.25 million will support key WHO staff .
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