PolioPlus - Rotary International's Worldwide Campaign
Rotary committed to eradicating polio
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World Polio Day on Sunday (October 24) will see Rotarians around the world mark the historic progress toward a polio-free world and renew their commitment to eradicating the vaccine-preventable disease once and for all.
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When Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, there were 350,000 cases of the paralyzing disease in 125 countries every year. Today, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9 percent, and just two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rotary remains committed to the end.
With polio nearly eradicated, Rotary and its partners aim to sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk. Rotary has committed to raising US$50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match that 2-to-1, for a total yearly contribution of $150 million. Rotary has contributed more than $2.2 billion to ending polio, including thousands of pounds donated by Maidenhead Rotary Club. Volunteers from the club have also travelled to India to help in vaccine programmes. Visit https://endpolio.org/ to learn more about Rotary and the fight to eradicate polio. |
Milestone for Rotary as Africa is declared polio-free
Rotarians in Maidenhead who have supported the global effort to eradicate polio have welcomed the news Africa is finally free from the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) said today the Africa region has officially been certified wild polio-free. Polio is a debilitating disease mainly affecting children. It can cause paralysis and even death. The milestone is the result of decades of effort from Rotary clubs and volunteers around the world, who have fund-raised, campaigned and worked tirelessly since Rotary pledged to rid the world of polio more than 30 years ago.
Members of the Rotary Club of Maidenhead have been at the forefront of the battle at every level. For years they have worked to raise funds for mass vaccinations and even provided volunteers to help in immunisation programmes abroad. Rotarian Mike Holness, who volunteered to help deliver immunisation programmes in India in 2004 and 2011, welcomed the news Africa was wild-polio free. “It’s great news. It will make an enormous difference to countless lives. But it reminds us that we cannot relax our commitment in the battle against polio any more than we can relax against the current Covid-19 virus in the UK,” he said.
The certification comes four years after Nigeria, the last polio-endemic country in Africa, recorded its final case of wild polio. It means of the WHO’s six regions, five – accounting for 90 per cent of the world’s population – are free from polio. Globally, more than 2.5billion children have been protected against the disease, which has reduced the number of cases by 99.9 per cent - down from about 1,000 cases per day in 125 countries.
Members of the Rotary Club of Maidenhead have been at the forefront of the battle at every level. For years they have worked to raise funds for mass vaccinations and even provided volunteers to help in immunisation programmes abroad. Rotarian Mike Holness, who volunteered to help deliver immunisation programmes in India in 2004 and 2011, welcomed the news Africa was wild-polio free. “It’s great news. It will make an enormous difference to countless lives. But it reminds us that we cannot relax our commitment in the battle against polio any more than we can relax against the current Covid-19 virus in the UK,” he said.
The certification comes four years after Nigeria, the last polio-endemic country in Africa, recorded its final case of wild polio. It means of the WHO’s six regions, five – accounting for 90 per cent of the world’s population – are free from polio. Globally, more than 2.5billion children have been protected against the disease, which has reduced the number of cases by 99.9 per cent - down from about 1,000 cases per day in 125 countries.
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Rotary Club of Maidenhead past president Mary Spinks said: “This is a terrific landmark in the battle to eradicate polio. Although it has been many years since polio has been present in the UK and Ireland, we are proud to have contributed to the global efforts to eliminate the disease for good.” For Mary the spectre of polio is very real. She vividly recalls an outbreak in her home city of Cork, Ireland, in 1956 when she was a schoolgirl. She said: “The city became a ghost town. Everybody was terrified of catching it and it almost ruined my father’s business which was in the city centre. It was a terrible time.” Mary continued: “We remain committed to making a polio-free world a reality. If we don’t finish the job, it is estimated that within 10 years, as many as 200,000 children annually all over the world could succumb to polio, including here in the UK. The virus can literally be a plane ride away so vaccination is vital.”
Members of the club will be busy raising awareness of the battle against the disease for World Polio Day, on October 24 2021, by planting thousands of purple crocuses in Maidenhead. The colour signifies the purple dye used to mark the little fingers of children who have been vaccinated on mass immunisation days. Despite the significant milestone being reached, the job to fully rid the world of polio goes on, as the virus continues to circulate in parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Vaccination programmes must continue to protect every last child and strengthen routine immunisation to keep immunity levels high, so the virus does not return. Rotary has directly contributed more than US$2 billion to ending polio since 1985, including thousands of pounds raised by Maidenhead Rotarians. |
Rotarians will be planting purple crocuses in October for World Polio Day
"Purple for polio" crocus
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Rotarian Mike Holness vaccinates a child against polio in India
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Mike & Frankie Holness twice took part in vaccination programmes in India.
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