Rotary Club Estoi Palace International - Polio Eradication Update

As has been previously reported the Rotary movement is at the forefront of an international effort to finally eliminate the dreadful effects of polio on people’s lives.

Rotarians worldwide have been working hard to raise US$200 million in response to a $355 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. That target has been reached. As of 17th January 2012 a total of 203 million US dollars has been raised in response to the challenge. All funds have been earmarked to support polio immunization activities in affected countries where the vaccine preventable disease continues to paralyse children.

The Gates Foundation has now added a further US$50 million to their contribution. 'In recognition of Rotary’s great work, and to inspire Rotarians in the future, the Gates Foundation is committing an additional $50 million to extend our partnership’ said Jeff Raikes, chief executive officer of the Foundation. ‘Rotary started the global fight against polio, and continues to set the tone for private fundraising, grassroots engagement, and maintaining polio at the top of the agenda with key policymakers’ he added.

Since 1988, the incidence of polio has fallen by more than 99 percent, from about 350,000 cases annually to fewer than 650 cases reported in 2011. The wild poliovirus is now endemic in only four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. India, on 13 January 2012,  marked a full calendar year without a case, paving the way for its removal from the endemic list. 

However other countries remain at risk from polio cases imported from the endemic countries. In Africa in 2011, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo had significant outbreaks. Also in 2011, a small cluster of polio cases in China, which had been polio-free for a decade, was traced to Pakistan.

We are all aware of the many problems facing the modern world but the final eradication of polio is now very close and will join smallpox as the only diseases to have been eradicated by mankind. As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk.

The efforts continue and by the time the world is certified polio-free, Rotary's contributions to the global polio eradication effort will exceed $1.2 billion which will represent approximately 66 percent of all private sector contributions to the initiative.

Rotary Club Estoi Palace International is proud to have been involved in fund raising for this very important global effort, and to date its members have contributed more than US$8,300 towards this  project.

For further information contact your local club or Rotary Club Estoi Palace International on info@rotaryestoipalace.org who will be pleased to provide more information or see www.polioeradication.org, www.rotaryestoipalace.org.

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