Polio Eradication work continues....

Who would set a goal to defeat a pernicious disease and wipe it from the face of the earth? Who would tackle such an outrageous goal, set a timetable for achieving it and then work toward making it come true?

Rotary did!

In the 1950's polio was a deadly disease that struck many people, many of them children. It killed and maimed people around the world at a rapid rate. So frightening was it that  that mothers throughout North America forbade their children from attending public swimming pools (one of the disease sources). In time a vaccine was developed and children throughout the developed world were immunized against the disease. In Canada it seemed as if all was well.

But poverty, delivery systems and local fears prevented the vaccine from being successful in much of the world.

In 1982 Rotary took up the challenge. Our club vowed to eliminate polio from the world by the year 2000. In a vast campaign of fund raising, partnership building and on the ground work millions of children in every country of the world were immunized against the disease. While Rotary was not successful in reaching its deadline for the defeat of the disease, the campaign had a huge impact on the world. So successful was it that polio was declared banished from all of the countries on earth, except three, and the forces of Rotary have been focused on those three countries to eliminate the disease for good. 

The story of Rotary's work against polio is so amazing that it is a great reason for belonging to this organization. Not only do we make our local community a better place for children, but we have made the world a safer place for all children. Our work isn't finished, but we have done a great job so far.