The Rotary Club is actively working with 1.2 million Rotarians world-wide to eradicate Polio from the face of the earth.
The program, started in 1985, called PolioPlus is Rotary’s flagship program. By the time polio is eradicated, Rotary club members world-wide will have contributed US $ 1.7 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than two billion children in 122 countries.
Rotary is a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Polio is active in only 2 countries and Rotary is calling on everyone to help them end Poilo forever. Since 1985, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but a strong push is needed now to root it out once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.
The world is on the verge of eliminating one of the most dreaded diseases of the 20th century -- poliomyelitis. During the first half of the 20th century, polio crippled over a half a million people every year. Even today, children in some developing countries continue to fall victim to the disease. But thanks in large part to Rotary International and to the 1.2 million Rotary members worldwide, including the 10 Durham Region Rotary Clubs , the disease will soon be all but a memory.
The world is 99.9% polio-free, the fight to end polio is not over and Rotary Clubs world-wide continue to raise funds to meet the challenge.
Since Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1985, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 children paralyzed due to polio every year, and in all of 2017, only 12 have been confirmed as of October 18, 2017 : 7 in Afghanistan and 5 in Pakistan.
Since 1985, Rotary members world-wide have contributed nearly US$1.7 billion to help immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio, and we have helped secure over US$ 7.2 billion from donor governments. Coinciding with World Polio Day, Rotary is ramping up its advocacy work in the 200 countries and regions where Rotary clubs exist to encourage every national government to commit to the funding levels needed to close the gap.
In many cities all over the world, October 24 has been proclaimed World Polio Day in honour of Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio from the world. Rotarians will be gathering at city and town halls to acknowledge October 24 as World Polio Day, and to reconfirm our deep commitment to Eradicate Polio from the face of the earth. Every year fellow Rotarian and Chair of Durham Region, John Henry proclaims October 24 as World Polio Day in all of the communities in the Region. Right here in our own Rotary District, in southern Ontario, Canada, flag raising ceremonies are held in Markham, Richmond Hill, and other towns and cities in southern Ontario. And there is always a flag raising ceremony at City Hall in Toronto right in the heart of the city, the home to the 2018 Rotary International Convention on October 24. We have also been able to light up the CN Tower, The Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto, and at the University of Toronto – Scarborough campus, on October 24, in red, white, and yellow ,the colours of the End Polio Now campaign, to raise awareness to our cause and efforts in eradicating this disease. ”
We thank everyone who join us every year , on October 24, for our annual World Polio Day events for the last three years from The Rotary Global Classroom at Durham College as we livestream our event to thousands worldwide as we hear and see Rotary leaders, Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, celebrity ambassadors, polio survivors, and others here in southern Ontario and from all parts of the world update us on our efforts worldwide to End Polio Now. Watch previous World Polio Day livestreams from Durham College, Oshawa at https://durhamcollege.ca/globalclass/class/rotary-international-world-polio-day-2/ and at www.endpolio.org
Background
A highly infectious disease, polio causes paralysis and is sometimes fatal. As there is no cure, the best protection is prevention. For as little as US 60 cents worth of vaccine, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life. After the successful engagement of over 200 countries and 20 million volunteers, polio could be the first human disease of the 21st century to be eradicated.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). It includes the support of governments and other private sector donors.
Rotary’s main responsibilities are fundraising, advocacy, and volunteer recruitment. Since 1995, the advocacy efforts of Rotary and its partners have helped raise more than $8 billion from donor governments. And Rotary clubs also provide on the ground help in polio-affected communities.
Early in 2016, two members of the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood and a spouse traveled to India, with their own money, and participated in a 4-day National Immunization Day (NID) program. They were three of the 2.3 million vaccinators that went to 190 million homes and 170 million children were immunized in one day. That is Rotarians Making a Difference at its finest moment.
It is so important to generate the funds needed to End Polio Now. To fail is to invite a polio resurgence that would condemn millions of children to lifelong paralysis in the years ahead. The bottom line is this: As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, all children – wherever they live – remain at risk.
As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk. The stakes are that high
For more , be sure to go to http://polioeradication.org/