For centuries, small pox was considered a disease that was the scourge of the human race. Today, we hardly give this disfiguring disease a thought, since it was the first human disease to be eliminated from the world.

The even better news is that we are so very close to eliminating polio from our planet. 

Currently, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only three remaining countries in the world where the wild poliovirus has never been completely eliminated. 

One measure of how far the world has come is the fact that in 2013, the world recorded only 416 confirmed polio cases. This compares to the 350,000 confirmed cases in 1988, when the worldwide initiative to eliminate polio got underway. 

Rotary, a civic organization with chapters across the globe, has been a leader in this initiative and has contributed $1.3 billion to date to this effort. Bowling Green’s two Rotary clubs have given thousands to this cause from member contributions.

Also playing vital roles in this effort are UNICEF and the World Health Organization, which partners with Rotary in working with governments and Rotary club members in targeted countries to plan and carry out immunization activities that have impacted 2.5 billion children. 

In what may be the final push against this vaccine-preventable disease, Rotary has announced $44.7 million in grants. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is committed to match every dollar Rotary commits to eliminating polio (up to $35 million a year) through 2018. 

Eliminating the last pockets of polio won’t be a cakewalk. Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria are dangerous places with terrorist groups active in each one. 

With 193 countries now polio-free, the world has made too much progress to falter now. 

There is a real opportunity in the next several years for polio to join smallpox in being completely eliminated worldwide. 

This is an achievable goal we can all celebrate.