PDG Brad Howard Addresses PolioPlus

Brad is very active with the RI Foundation, particularly with regards to the Polio eradication efforts.  Since 1998 he's taken more than 700 people to Africa and India to immunize children for polio.  He's also led groups of Rotarians to Viet Nam, China, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Chile and Costa Rica to deliver wheelchairs, create new Rotary friendships and participate in matching grant projects.   He's also the co-creator of the West Africa Project Fair.

Howard opened by recognizing a number of Sunrise members for their contributions to the club and district.  In particular, Mark Junod who was Assistant Governor during Brad's tenure as DG, Dave Mello, Pat Davis, Jack Western and other charter members.   He noted a special connection to our club as it was chartered the same year as his club in Oakland, 24 years ago, during his father's stint as District Governor.  

What followed was an engaging 30 minute presentation on the history of Rotary's involvement with the global Polio eradication effort, the partners and costs and, the current state of the disease. 

If you were born in the 50's or later, you're AWARE of polio, primarily through the familiar sugar cube administered vaccine we all took (until the early '80's).  If you were born in the 40's or before, you LIVED polio.  Nearly everyone of that generation had first-hand contact with the horribly debilitating and disfiguring disease. 

At it's zenith, there were in excess of 350,000 new cases each year.  Past RI President Rick King made the magnitude of this staggering number real by likening it to one 747 jumbo jet filled with children crashing every single day.  That was 1985.  Nearly every corner of the earth was visited by polio then.  Today, there are only 4 regions remaining that still harbor active cases: Nigeria, S. Asia, India / Southern Pakistan, and Afghanistan.  The worldwide infection rate in 2008 was down to an unbelievable 1600.

Although the first polio vaccine was developed in the mid 1950's by Jonas Salk, the medical breakthrough that made it practical to mount a world-wide eradication effort was the so-called OPV, or orally administered, vaccine developed in the early '60's by Albert Sabin.   In 1985 a Rotary club in the Philippines decided to take on polio in their country.   Their success caught the attention of RI who quickly envisioned an international effort employing the power of the Rotarian network to wipe out polio everywhere. 

A project was launched through The Rotary Foundation (TRF) with a fundraising goal of $120M.   In short order, $247M was raised!   As sleeves were rolled up to begin the work, and with a fat war chest of funds in-hand, Victory was declared.  Needless to say, this was premature (ed., where have we heard this before?).   RI quickly learned that the fundraising was the easy part of this battle.  The logistics of getting the vaccine into the mouths of the billions of children around the word was a more daunting task than anyone could have imagined.

Rotary established liaisons with the World Health Organization, the CDC and UNICEF to assist in the effort.  Through Rotary's push to engage the world in solving this scourge, The World Health Assembly created the Polio Resolution of 1988 resulting in humanitarian benefits, including $1.8B annual budget to fight the disease.

As noted, progress has been amazing.  But, polio is one of the most infectious and virulent diseases to inhabit the planet possessing the ability to quickly spread to un-vaccinated or under-vaccinated individuals.   If not completely wiped out, polio has the potential to rise again and wreak havoc around the world. Given the current low level of new infections and relatively isolated regions of active cases, the time is absolutely now to finish the job.  

Howard went on to describe the challenges and new thinking on how to walk that "last mile".  A new game plan is being developed with new tools, tactics and renewed leadership.   He described the types of polio and the different approaches required to deal with each.  He talked about how normally 3 single-drop doses of the vaccine is adequate to stimulate an immunity.  But in those still active regions, mostly due to poor sanitation, it can take as much as 25 single-drop doses.  In some areas, drops are being given to every individual, every month, every year!  

The Gates foundation understands the opportunity we have to finish the job and provided a $100M matching grant in November of 2007.  Rotary immediately responded to the call and met the match.   Siting confidence in Rotary, Gates raised the grant to $355M.  Again, Rotary immediately responded.   Of the $100M needed to match the second grant, we've already raised $72M with more that two years remaining.   Howard confidently believes that Rotary will raise the balance before the end of this calendar year.

And that's where WE come in.   The best chance to eliminate this horrible disease is now.  And we as Rotarians have in our hands (and wallets) the solution to this problem.

Howard made these practical observations and suggestions:

• Unlike annual RI Foundation giving, there are no specific club goals for the Polio Eradication effort.
• We don't want to sacrifice annual giving.
• However, you can do this:
  • Make giving to the Polio fund a priority for the next year and a half.  Talk about it inside and outside the club.
  • Hold a public fundraiser for Polio.  Include the community.
  • Text POLIO to 90999 to make an immediate $5 donation
  • New members since 2003 probably have not heard much about the Polio Fund.  Now is a great time to contribute.
  • Major donors interested in making a legacy gift are sought.
  • Travel with Brad or others to administer the vaccine.  It's guaranteed to be a life changing trip.

In closing, Brad urged everyone to please make a difference now, while the opportunity to finally eradicate polio is before us.

In a fitting conclusion to this moving presentation, President Henderson took the podium and explained to Brad that the Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary just completed a major fundraising event, our reconstituted rummage sale.  Keith, flanked by event organizers Randy Parker, Darlene de la Cerna and Bernice Robertson, presented to Brad a check for $5,000, the entire proceeds of the event, for PolioPlus.