Oct. 24 was World Polio Day – a day focusing on the efforts of Rotary International and its partners to eliminate Poliomyelitis, worldwide.
The virus was once endemic in more than 125 countries, leading to outbreaks, high infection rates in children under the age of 5, paralysis, and even death.
Canada saw one of the greatest outbreaks in 1952-53, resulting in thousands of confirmed cases.
There was no cure then, and there is no cure now, but in 1955 Dr. Jonas Salk developed an injectable vaccine, and in 1960 an oral vaccine was developed by Dr. Sabin. Polio can’t be cured, but it can be prevented through vaccination.
Rotary International has been involved in the fight against Polio since 1979, launching PolioPlus in 1985.
It made sense that a service organization with an estimated 1.2 million members around the world would take aim at a global threat to health.
Rotary’s goals include the promotion of integrity and peace through the “fellowship of business, professional and community leaders,” but also the provision of clean water, sanitation and hygiene - Polio is spread primarily through contaminated water and food – and fighting disease.
The PolioPlus campaign began its program of mass immunizations in countries where the disease was endemic. That number has dropped from over 125 countries, to just three – Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan – in 2018.
The campaign has been boosted by support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which committed 2:1 matching funding, of up to $50 million per year, to 2020.
The impact of the global campaign is clear. The CDC reported an estimated 350,000 cases of Polio in 1988 worldwide; that number dropped to 407 in 2013 - and only 22 last year.
The Innisfil Rotary Club was one of thousands of clubs and groups hosting World Polio Day events, from concerts, documentary screenings to walks and rides. Members of the club met at no frills in Innisfil; joined by South Simcoe Police Chief Andrew Fletcher and Innisfil Mayor-elect Lynn Dollin, they Walked to End Polio down Innisfil Beach Road to the Alcona Sobeys, and from there to the Lakeshore Library.
The event wasn’t a fundraiser, although Rotary International continues to raise funds for its mass vaccination program, but a reminder that Polio is sill a threat in some parts of the world.
For more information on the campaign to eliminate polio, click here.
