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.
Stittsville Rotarians heard first-hand in a zoom meeting on Nov 25th 2020 about international efforts to combat polio from Barbara Wilson, President-elect of the Rotary club in Lake Chapala, Mexico. Barb and her husband have travelled to Ghana and to India to join in the team effort of World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary, medical volunteers and others to immunize local citizens with a polio vaccine.
She described the organization of a National Immunization Day in developing countries as a means of creating excitement in a community to attract many citizens to come out. A parade, television stars, advertising and workshops for mothers are strategies used to emphasize the importance of the event. Education helps dispel the myths about this virus which most commonly affects children under the age of 5 years, spreading from person to person, typically through contaminated water.
Rotary International has made the eradication of polio in the world a major focus. Working as a team including WHO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and many medical volunteers, there has been great success and polio remains in only 2 countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In this effort, 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.
When asked about how an individual could help in this cause, Barbara suggested 3 ways: make a financial donation to Rotary’s PolioPlus program, be an advocate for PolioPlus and be enthusiastic about world-wide eradication of polio efforts in your discussions with others. www.chapalarotary.org