Rotarians around the world are on a common mission. Eradicate Polio! Polio is a terrible disease affecting mostly children. However, adults like President Roosevelt can also come down with Polio. Polioviruses (shortened to Polio) are discharged from affected people via body discharges which can enter the waterways, lakes, and rivers.
It has a long survival rate in the waters and can be ingested while swimming or playing in or near those affected waters. Out of ten people who come down with Polio, one person is affected with severe paralysis, even death. The Salk vaccine came out in the 1950’s with mass vaccine programs across the country which basically eradicated Polio in the USA. However, over 100 countries still had hundreds of thousands of cases each year back in the 1960’s when Polio was basically gone in the USA. Rotary International dreamed big and wanted to completely eradicate Polio worldwide. Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 45 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.
As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by over 99.9 percent Rotary’s first project was to vaccinate children in the Philippines starting in 1979.
Rotary members have contributed billions of dollars in conjunction with philanthropists like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and contributed countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments such as the USA to contribute more than $10 billion additionally to the effort. The World Health organization is also involved along with many others in this effort implemented by Rotary International to completely eradicate polio throughout the world.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free and to eradicate Polio in those two countries. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year. As a result, Rotary Clubs throughout the world are raising funds and traveling to these places where polio exists which are the rural parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rotarians working with local community leaders have massive community oral sera distributions. Once a baby receives the oral Polio serum, its finger is dipped in purple ink which identifies the child as protected from Polio. This purple finger remains purple for years and represents a protected child.
This program will continue for at least three years after the last Polio case. It take three years of no Polio cases worldwide to ensure that the Polio virus is completely eradicated. Rotary International has lessened the annual case load of Polio from several hundred thousand to less than 100. It is only a matter of time before Polio is gone. Rotarians worldwide are committed to create a Polio-free world. We link arms with Rotarians here in the USA and in other nations. By doing this world together, the world is learning from Rotarians on how to focus worldwide to achieve a Polio-free world and hopefully build relationship to evolve into a world peace. If you have a desire to serve and make friends locally and worldwide, Rotary is for you.
For more information on Rotary, please contact Ron Saikowski at rsaikowski@comcast.net.
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