World Polio Day 2026 is on Saturday

About World Polio Day

Polio is a highly infectious virus that attacks the nervous system and mainly affects children under 5. WHO says about 1 in 200 infections leads to permanent paralysis, usually in the legs, and there is no cure. Vaccines given in several doses can protect a child for life, which is why the day centers on immunization.

Rotary International established World Polio Day, and Rotary clubs, WHO offices and public health groups mark it with events, fundraising and updates on eradication. WHO and Rotary say October 24 honors the birthday of Jonas Salk, who led the team behind the first polio vaccine, an injected vaccine approved in 1955. The Salk Institute gives his birth date as October 28, 1914, so the link to his birthday is approximate. The year the observance began isn't clearly documented in official sources.

Rotary's role runs deep. In 1985 it launched PolioPlus, a private-sector campaign to immunize the world's children, and in 1988 the World Health Assembly started the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a partnership that includes WHO, Rotary, UNICEF and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since then, WHO reports, wild poliovirus cases have dropped by more than 99%, from an estimated 350,000 cases in over 125 countries to transmission in just two, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Health officials stress that while the virus circulates anywhere, unvaccinated children everywhere remain at risk.

Sources: WHO South-East Asia: World Polio Day statement (2024), World Health Organization: Poliomyelitis fact sheet, Global Polio Eradication Initiative: History of polio, Salk Institute: About Jonas Salk, End Polio Now (Rotary): World Polio Day. How we check dates.

How to mark World Polio Day

• Check your children's vaccination records and ask your doctor or clinic whether they are up to date on polio vaccine.
• Before traveling, ask a travel clinic whether your destination calls for a polio booster.
• Join or attend a local Rotary club's World Polio Day event or fundraiser.
• Read about the 1950s US polio epidemics and the vaccine field trials to understand what life was like before vaccination.
• Share accurate, sourced information about vaccine safety with friends and family who have questions.

World Polio Day dates