Greg Fenton & Libby Weir听听|听 Special to the 51暗网
The Rotary Club of Jasper will mark historic progress toward a polio-free world while urging the community to help end the paralyzing disease by taking action on World Polio Day, Saturday Oct. 24.
Polio is a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in the world today.
When Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries every year.
Since then, there has been significant progress against the disease, with polio reduced by 99.9 percent.
With Africa recently declared polio-free, there remains just two countries who continue to report cases: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Until eradicated, just like COVID-19, this threat is only a plane ride away.
Over the past 30 years, more than one million Rotarians, including members from Jasper, have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries, contributing more than $2.1 billion (USD) towards eradicating this disease worldwide.听
Using the vast infrastructure developed to identify the polio virus and deliver vaccination campaigns, the polio eradication program is pitching in to protect the vulnerable from COVID-19, especially in polio endemic countries.
From Pakistan to Nigeria, the program is drawing on years of experience fighting outbreaks to support governments as they respond to the new virus.
Rotary has played a role in government decisions to contribute billions of dollars each year, and committed to raising $50 million (USD) each year to support these efforts, matched 2-to-1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for a total yearly contribution of $150 million (USD).
The Rotary Club of Jasper has supported the Rotary International End Polio Now Program for the past 25 years, raising awareness, fundraising and making donations to help eradicate the disease.
Three of its members helped to immunize children at a Polio Drop Day during a Rotary Friendship Exchange to India in 2015.
And this year, as part of World Polio Day, the Rotary Club of Jasper has developed an action plan that will help raise awareness about polio, mobilize Rotarians and the public to take action through an End Polio Walk, and raise funds in the fight against Polio.听
Join Rotary members this World Polio Day by going for a walk on Oct. 24 and sharing it with the Rotary Club of Jasper on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JasperRotary.
Donations can be made at the Rotary鈥檚 End Polio Now website at endpol.io/give, with all donations matched twice by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
A polio-free world is possible, but only by taking action together.
The Rotary Club of Jasper is part of a global network of 1.2 million neighbours, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who unite and take action to create lasting change in Jasper and around the globe. For information and how you can get more active with Rotary go online to https://portal.clubrunner.ca/471/.
