"The Shot Felt Around The World"
What do Bill Gates, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, actress Archie Panjabi, actor Jackie Chan, golf legend Jack Nicklaus, and South Korean popstar Psy have in common?
They all are ambassadors helping educate the public about polio through public service announcements, social media, and public appearances.
50 years ago, Ann Arbor was the epicenter of the medical research to eradicate Polio worldwide as Thomas Francis, Jr., (the University of Michigan Director of the Polio Vaccine Evaluation Center) announced to the world that the Salk vaccine proved to be up to 90% effective in preventing paralytic polio. His announcement was made at Rackham Auditorium, after a two-year national field trials of the poliomyelitis vaccine developed by his former student, Jonas Salk.
Today, there are only two countries that have never stopped the transmission of the wild poliovirus-- Afganistan and Pakistan. Less than 370 polio cases were confirmed worldwide in 2014, which is the reduction of more than 99% since the 1980s, when the world saw about 1,000 cases per day.
The Rotary Foundation, together with its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, has led the efforts to eradicate polio, contributing more than $1.3 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries.
Following the screening, University of Michigan health care professionals will take part in a panel discussion.
Showing Location: Michigan Theater 603 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Show Date and Time: Sunday October 25, 2015 at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM