The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was launched in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UNICEF. The initiative aims to eradicate polio worldwide through widespread immunization, surveillance, and outbreak response activities. Since its inception, the number of polio cases has decreased by over 99%, from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988 to fewer than a few hundred cases today.