The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean joined Rotary leaders and members in Cairo yesterday to mark World Polio Day, celebrating decades of partnership and renewing their shared commitment to a polio-free world.

Speaking at the Rotary Foundation Seminar, Dr Adham Ismail, Officer-in-Charge of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, paid tribute to Rotary's extraordinary contribution to global polio eradication.

In 1988, polio paralyzed an estimated 350 000 children annually across more than 125 countries. Last year, just 52 cases of wild poliovirus were reported worldwide, confined to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“Rotary does not only fund polio eradication. Rotary leads it,” Dr Ismail said, recognizing the organization's role as a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, its financial contributions exceeding US$ 2.9 billion and the millions of volunteer hours dedicated to protecting children.

While acknowledging the remarkable progress achieved, Dr Ismail stressed that finishing the job would require renewed commitment and new approaches.