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In the September District 5710 Newsletter that we just received via email today, Jim Arnett, Polio Plus 5710 Chair, reported:
"Sad News: Six new Wild Polio cases reported this week with the total for this year reaching 33 cases. We are now 3 weeks since the Onset of Paralysis of the most recent reported Wild Polio Case in Afghanistan. And in Gaza there is disturbing news of what is considered to be a circulating Vaccine Derived Polio case. Here is the latest info about the situation in Gaza.
- Gaza (occupied Palestinian territory) - Earlier this month, a 10-month-old unvaccinated child in Gaza contracted Polio and became paralyzed in one leg. The spread of polio, a highly infectious disease, poses life-threatening risks for children — especially as the majority of Gaza’s hospitals and health clinics have been destroyed or are only partially functioning.
- On August 29th the Israeli military and Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to three separate, zoned three-day pauses in fighting in the Gaza Strip to allow for the vaccination of some 640,000 children under the age of 10 against polio.
- The vaccination campaign is due to start on Sunday Sept 1st. The agreement was for the pauses to take place between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. (0300-1200 GMT).
- Delivery of vaccines in conflict areas is always difficult. To protect children and prevent further spread of the virus, UNICEF is attempting to deliver more than 1.2 million doses of polio vaccines to Gaza, and thousands more are on the way. The campaign would start in central Gaza with a three-day pause in fighting, then move to southern Gaza, where there would be another three-day pause, followed by northern Gaza. There is an agreement to extend the humanitarian pause in each zone to a fourth day if needed.
The issue in Gaza is another reason why Rotarians around the world are stepping up their support for Polio Plus."
"Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years, and we've made incredible progress in the fight to rid the world of it forever. As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we've helped to reduced polio cases by more than 99.9 percent." ~ Rotary International
One way for Shawnee Rotarians to give is to bring in your change (or bills) and put it in the End Polio jar that District Governor Tamara Sevcik gave to us to fill when she visited our club on July 9th. Another way is to donate directly to Rotary International and mark your donation for Polio Plus.