Greensburg, IN — Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Its goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever. For that Rotarians would like to spread the word about World Polio Day, which was held on Saturday, October 24.
As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary has helped reduce polio cases by 99.9 percent since its first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and 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 to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.
