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End Polio Now
Polio at the Start of the Second Quarter of the 21st Century!

by Bob Hagan, District 6900 Rotary Foundation Chair

Let the title of this month’s Polio article sit with you for a moment. Can you believe that we have already traveled one quarter of the way through the 21st century? It seems like just yesterday the world was petrified about the potential effects of Y2K and now we have already moved 25 years past it.

If you have already read my Foundation article for July 2026, then you are aware I just returned from Taipei and the “#Rotary26” convention. What a time it was! Attending a convention with over 37,000 Rotarians was quite an adventure. Without a doubt, one of the highest attended breakout sessions, as you might imagine, was the session focused on where we are in the fight to eradicate Polio worldwide. The session was entitled, “Join the Experts: A Polio Free World”.

Although there wasn’t a tremendous amount of new News on the fight, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any news or that there wasn’t any good news. When the top leaders of the 40-year march to eradicate Polio speak, to listen is good idea. Michael K. McGovern, the chair of the International PolioPlus Committee, had much to comment on. He stated that even though we have sustained some years of disappointment in the quest and we face, as he stated, “international factors”, still there is good reason for optimism. Even to the point of stating that this year could be the year we see the last case of the wild polio virus in Pakistan. Certainly, there has been political unrest and different wars to deal with still there is good news in the fact that vaccine refusal rates are at the lowest levels ever.

Johrita Solari, who is the chair of the Polio Eradication Advocacy Task force here in the United States echoed the fact that the eradication story is, as he put it, “the rare, good news story” in a world that seems always filled with nothing but bad news. He went on to point out that, “Polio eradication is an inspirating example of the power of collective action, enduring commitment, and effective partnerships, with proven results”.

Chairman McGovern went on to point out that for five straight years, the United States has appropriated $265 million dollars to the Polio eradication effort. Valarie Wafer, who is a member of the international PolioPlus Committee, also spoke in the breakout session and her main point was to express strong support for polio survivors to continue to tell their personal stories and that in the countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan polio survivors are actually going door to door with vaccination front line workers to get the children vaccinated! Now that is commitment.

Other panelists spoke about the necessity of employing as much technology to the effort as possible, particularly around education. Gaining the trust of those in the outlying areas of Pakistan has been perhaps the biggest obstacle in the vaccination effort. Therefore, the approach of bringing nutrition experts along with maternal care professionals has helped make greater inroads in the eradication efforts.

We now sit at the beginning of a new Rotary year. This year is my last year of the three-year appointment as District 6900’s Foundation Chair. How wonderful if by the end of this year we could say, eradication has been achieved. Certainly that is my goal and I know it’s your goal as well. So, let’s make this year the best Rotary year ever for those we serve in the good name of PolioPlus and the Rotary Foundation! Always remember that we together can end Polio. We are this close. We must continue to spread the word and keep awareness of this terrible disease at the forefront of our thoughts and work. Keep the contributions coming as every dollar counts and is matched 2 for 1 by the Gates Foundation. This is OUR legacy as Rotarians!

If I can personally assist you in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via cell or email. I’m here to help and together we will….Unite for good!

Posted by Bob Hagan
June 25, 2026

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