1. Why Donate? Any donation in the amount at least $25 is noted by Mariko to the Foundation and is credited towards TRF and your PHF recognition.
2. Why Donate to Polio Plus? Since the mid 1980’s one of Rotary missions has been to eradicate this crippling childhood disease. The Bill Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization has partnered with Rotary International in our fight. We are not alone in this struggle.
3. What is Polio? Polio is an infectious disease caused by a virus that lives in the throat and intestinal tract. It is most often spread through person-to-person contact with the stool of an infected person and may also be spread through oral/nasal secretions. Those who develop symptoms may incur paralysis or death.
4. How common was polio in the United States? Polio was one of the most dreaded childhood diseases of the 20th century. With the introduction of Salk vaccine in 1955, the number of cases rapidly declined to under 2,500 by 1957. By 1965, only 61 cases of paralytic polio were reported.
5. Is polio still a disease seen in the United States? The last imported case caused by wild poliovirus into the United States was reported in 1993.
6. Who should get polio vaccine and when? The poliovirus vaccine used in the United States is IPV. It is a shot given in the leg or arm, depending on age. The Polio vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines. IPV is routinely given to children, who receive 4 doses over time.
7. If Polio is not a significant threat here, why should we care? Unfortunately, polio lurks in the shadow of war and highly populated poverty stricken countries. Polio remains in two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
8. Are we in danger?  As long as the disease exists we are threatened. There is no cure for polio once infected. The focus of modern treatment has been on providing relief of symptoms, speeding recovery and preventing complications.
9.  What is the cost? The cost to immunize a child costs $0.60. Where else can you make a contribution that will have such a significant impact? With each $1,000 in donations 1,666 children will receive immunization.
10. We are SO close! Rotarians have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. Even though we are 99.9% of the way to eradicating this disease, there remains a threat! We are within the 3 inch line of the ‘football goal line. We have yet to win. Please make your pledge now to TRF, noting End Polio NOW! Your minimum gift of $25.00 is eligible for Paul Harris Society recognition.

• In 1988 — when the wild poliovirus was in more than 125 countries, paralyzing 350,000 people every year — the World Health Assembly launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to help eliminate the disease through a mass immunization campaign.
• In 2007 the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation joined other major health organizations already committed, contributing nearly $3 billion toward eradicating polio by 2020.
• "What we're looking at now is the endgame of polio eradication," says Dr. Jay Wenger, who leads the Gates Foundation's polio eradication efforts. "We are closer than ever, and we're optimistic that we can see the end of wild poliovirus disease by as early as this year," he said.
• 12 Known Cases. According to Dr. Wenger, there are only 2 countries where known cases of the wild poliovirus exist today: Afghanistan and Pakistan. "In the last couple of years, we've seen unprecedented progress. In 2015 we could only find 74 cases; in 2016 we found 37, and then in 2018 we've found only 20 in only two countries."
• The reason: a mass immunization effort to orally vaccinate 2.5 billion children in 122 countries.
• In a lot of places, children don't always get all the vaccines that they are supposed to, and that's a chronic problem, said Dr. Wenger.
• The virus can only live in people, he says, and it needs new people to infect to keep on spreading and keep on living. "If you make all those people in an area immune, then the virus can’t find new people to infect. So if we can get enough children in an area vaccinated, the virus dies off."
• Even after seeing the last known case of polio, the Gates Foundation will still monitor the situation over the next two years. Continual surveillance is necessary. Until there are no additional cases after a several-year period can polio be deemed completely eradicated.
• Since 1988, the number of cases has been reduced by 99.9 %, saving more than 13 million children from paralysis. Economic modeling has found that the eradication of polio would save at least $40 billion to $50 billion between 1988 and 2035, mostly in low-income countries.
• Bill Gates is hopeful the disease will become the second disease after smallpox to disappear for good. "Progress in fighting polio might be one of the world's best-kept secrets in global health." But soon, he hopes, it will be a secret no more. "If things stay stable in the conflicted areas, humanity will see its last case of polio this year."
• According to the WHO, as long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. Failure to eradicate polio from these last remaining strongholds could result in as many as 200 000 new cases every year, within 10 years, all over the world. Just remember, Polio is just a plane ride away!
• Dr. Jonas Salk, the Pittsburg University medical researcher who devoted his early life’s work to developing the Polio vaccine, worked seven days a week and sixteen hours a day for years during his quest to find a cure. We share this with you today because we want you to know how really devoted he was. Once he developed the vaccine he had to test it. Of course he used laboratory animals, but the final test had to be on humans.  He needed to test the vaccine.  Salk believed so strongly in the quality of his work that he was willing to risk his own safety to prove he was right. His wife and three sons also volunteered and placed their health on the line too as they all became test subjects. The tests were successful and the vaccine was deemed not a health danger. None of the people injected with the vaccine developed polio. This allowed the vaccine to be tested on a wider scale and today we all know the results.
• What you may not know is that Dr. Salk could have become a very wealthy man from his discovery and hard work. When asked who would own the rights to the polio vaccine, he replied, “There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?” He believed such benefit work should be freely shared. Salk gave away his discovery of the vaccine so it would be available to everyone.  
• What began 62 years ago in Dr. Salk's laboratory and later implemented by Bill Gates and others has been one of the great medical achievements of our time.
• In 2019 The scorecard looks like this: Polio Cases as of October 2018

• WHO (World Health Organization) who are responsible for planning, technical direction, surveillance and eradication certification.
• Rotary International whose responsibilities include fundraising, advocacy, and volunteer recruitment.
• The Center for Disease Control (CDC) are in charge of deploying scientists and public health experts to WHO and UNICEF.
• UNICEF is in charge of the distribution of the vaccine and helping countries develop communication and awareness strategies.
• The Gates Foundation continues to match RI funds as well provided a large portion of the funding.^[2] 

1. Detect and interrupt all poliovirus transmissions
2. Strengthen immunization systems and withdraw oral polio vaccine
3. Contain poliovirus and certify interruption of transmission
4. Ensure the remaining investments made to eradicate polio go to the greater cause of improving global health^[9]

Rotary Foundation receives highest rating from Charity Navigator for 13th consecutive year

• For as little as 60 cents, a child can be protected from polio.
• $50 can provide clean water to help fight waterborne illness.
• $500 can launch an antibullying campaign and create a safe environment for children.