Rotary Central Weekly Meeting, Tuesday April 7th

The polio eradication effort is being concentrated on Type 1 Polio which is highly contagious and very crippling - there are 2 provinces in India where this is still a problem. Chandigarh, where their help was utilised, was divided up, for the purposes of vaccination, using a grid system and each was allocated a team of Rotarians. The area that the team worked in was a 5x5 km square slum which contained approximately 70,000 people. Following an initial few days when a clinic was set up for parents to take their children for vaccination, the Rotarians went door to door to identify any child who had not been immunised - each had a mark on their right hand if they had been. The health team, which included doctors and other health professionals, also worked against those who tried to dissuade people from accepting the immunisation programme on the grounds that it was dangerous. Both Ms Swaby and PP Schmid praised the persistence of the doctors who were able to persuade the parents otherwise. It is incredible to hear that in one province alone there are 6 million children born every year - to vaccinate them all is a challenge that Rotary Polio Plus takes on with total dedication.

Ms Swaby was clearly moved by the sterling effort of local Rotarians who have funded a hospital and are now dedicating funds to its cancer wing. They also fund a school for the deaf and the education of children with disabilities. These children are seen as a burden to any family and the school encourages them to achieve success in a variety of different fields. Rotary International works with local and partner clubs to ensure that the money they raise is put to the best use possible in areas like this.

The Rotary Foundation is determined to rid the world of Polio and their Polio Plus campaign is heavily supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Rotarians across the world have been challenged to raise a further $100M by June 2012 - this is in addition to $100M already pledged. In return, the Gates Foundation has pledged $355M. We look forward to hearing the news that Polio is finally eradicated in the world.