Rotary's Vision for a Polio-Free World
Posted by Rich Kaye
After 20 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but we're not there yet. A strong push is needed now to root it out once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.
As evidence of this disease's resilency, a deadly polio epidemic is currently sweeping the Congo Republic, with 201 people paralyzed and another 104 killed in the past two weeks, reports the New York Times. The government has declared a state of emergency and launched an effort to vaccinate the entire population with the help of international aid organizations. Health officials say this epidemic, centered on the port city Pointe Noire, is more deadly than outbreaks in the past. The disease usually affects young boys and girls at equal rates, with 20 percent of those paralyzed dying. But this epidemic has struck older, predominantly male victims and is killing them at a much higher rate. Doctors are unsure why, although they guess that vaccination programs that have targeted children in the past may have left adults unprotected.
Rich Kaye
What can you do?
The biggest obstacles to eradicating polio are the underfunding of the global initiative and insufficient political commitment from the remaining polio-affected countries. While Rotary International strongly believes the primary source for additional funds can and should be governments of polio-free industrialized countries, your direct contribution through Rotary will help ensure that we keep doing our part to get the job done.During this season of thanksgiving, please consider contributing to the PolioPlus Fund online to support Rotary's dream of a polio-free world.
Yours in the Spirit of Rotary,Rich Kaye