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 Rotarians celebrate World Polio Day on October 24th, the birthdate of Jonas Salk, a virologist, who was the first to devise and implement a safe and effective vaccine against polio. War and conflict has caused a slip back in 2024 and the two endemic countries have seen an increase in Polio cases. Afghanistan in 2023 had 6 cases and in 2024 there are 22 cases YTD; Pakistan in 2023 also had 6 cases and in 2024 there have been 28 cases YTD. Additionally, Polio was detected in the Gaza Strip and amidst the horror of war, two emergency campaigns of vaccination have commenced there due to sewage sample detection of the virus.
Rotary International began its polio eradication efforts in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. In 1985, Rotary launched its PolioPlus program, the first global effort to immunize children against polio. In 1988, Rotary was a founding member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). Rotary's polio eradication efforts have included: - Fundraising: Rotary has contributed more than $2.1 billion to the effort.
- Advocacy: Rotary's advocacy efforts have influenced donor governments to contribute more than $10 billion.
- Volunteer recruitment: Rotary members have contributed countless volunteer hours.
ROTARY WILL CONTINUE THE EFFORT TO ELIMINATE THIS DISEASE UNTIL IT CAN NO LONGER AFFECT OUR CHILDREN. |
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On October 15th, Tyler L'Hotta and Nathan Gallagher from The 