World Polio Day was October 23, 2015, and Bill Gates marked the occasion by writing a thank-you letter to everyone involved in the international coalition to fight the disease: the volunteers and front-line health workers who go out and deliver vaccines, the leaders who make it a priority, the funders who underwrite the work. Thanks to all these efforts, we are achingly close to eradicating polio. Now we need to finish the job.
Rotary International kicked off World Polio Day celebrations with a special event that shone a light on Rotary’s leadership in the fight to end polio.
The End Polio Now: Make History Today event, live-streamed from New York City, provided a global update on the status of polio eradication from experts in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, and featured performances and appearances by celebrity ambassadors and other notables.
Watch the highlights below.