DID YOU KNOW?
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN POLIO ERADICATION – Why You Should Care
“As long as polio exists anywhere, it is a threat to children everywhere.”
The eradication of polio is one of Rotary’s longest standing and most significant efforts. Since 1988, Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have made great strides to reduce polio cases by 99.9% worldwide over the past 38 years. Along with our partners, we have helped immunize more than 3 billion children against polio in 122 countries. In total, over 17 billion dollars has been invested in this effort. We’ve reduced the circulation of wild polio to just 2 countries - Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, until poliovirus transmission is interrupted in these countries, all countries remain at risk for a resurgence of polio.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments with six core partners - the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Its goal is to eradicate polio worldwide.
That’s why as we approach this World Polio Day on October 24th, Rotary is pleased to recognize this progress. However, there is still work to do to finish the job and end polio for good to ensure that this paralyzing disease does not return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk.
3 Actions – 3 Minutes – You Can Make A Difference
Learn – get informed and help make polio a topic of conversation in your community;
Share – most people have heard of polio but few know that the disease still affects children around the world. You can help by spreading the word;
Donate – every donation helps. Right now, all donations are matched 2:1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, tripling your impact!
There are so many ways in which we can each support polio eradication efforts. We must all do our part to prevent polio outbreaks in our own communities and continue the march toward global eradication.
We have an opportunity to make history by ending polio, which will be only the second human disease ever to be eradicated, following smallpox, and the time for action is now--visit www.endpolio.org to learn more about how you can get involved, or contact one of your local Rotary Clubs – Clinton Sunrise Rotary, 908-279-0112, www.clintonsunriserotary.org; Flemington Rotary Club, www.flemingtonrotarynj.org; North Hunterdon Rotary Club, www.nhunterdonrotary.org
