LANGLEY, BC - The Rotary Club of Langley (evening club) will be celebrating World Polio Day by hosting a World’s Greatest Meal event on Oct. 29, 2015.  The event will be a pot-luck dinner, with proceeds contributed to Rotary’s Polio Eradication program.  World Polio Day (Oct. 24) is held on the anniversary of the birth of Dr. Jonas Salk, inventor of the oral polio vaccine.
 
Since 1984, Rotary International has spearheaded the effort to eradicate polio, worldwide, forever.  Joined by the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, UNICEF, and more recently, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the effort has slashed new polio cases from over 400,000 per year, to only 57 to date in 2015.   The wild polio virus remains endemic in only Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria.  But there have been no cases in Nigeria for over a year, and it is expected that all of Africa will soon be declared polio-free.
 
It is estimated that over $5 billion is still needed to complete the vaccinations that will forever erase polio from the world.   Admission to the World’s Greatest Meal is by donation of $20 or more.  Tax receipts WILL be issued.   Contact David Truman, Rotary District 5050 PolioPlus chair for reservations or further details.