While polio seems like a disease from a generation ago—a vaccine protects our population now—it still threatens children in parts of the world today.
Oct. 24 is World Polio Day, and as they do each year, the Rotary Club of Kissimmee West is in action to raise awareness, funds, and support to end polio worldwide.
Rotary members from the Kissimmee and Osceola County area have long worked to end the paralyzing virus, which would be only the second human disease ever to be eradicated. It’s important to Rotary to eliminate the disease one person at a time and the Rotary Club of Kissimmee West plans to continue doing this, its leadership said.
“Our Rotary Club has been supporting the efforts to end Polio around the world for the 40-year history of our Club,” said Kathy Pierson, president of the Rotary Club of Kissimmee West. This is just one of the many efforts our Rotary Club supports because we represent ‘Service Above Self,’ when it comes to helping our community locally, but also globally.” Locally, the Kissimmee West club hosted the Rise & Run 5K Saturday at NeoCity, and part of the proceeds went to its End Polio charitable programs that work to eradicate and educate on ending Polio globally. (See link for photos from Saturday's event).
Rotary has contributed more than $2.9 billion to fight polio and countless volunteer hours since launching its PolioPlus program in 1985. In 1988, Rotary joined in partnership with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to form the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, later joined. When the initiative launched, there were 350,000 cases of polio every year. Today, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent.
To sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine, Rotary has committed to raising up to $50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts. The Gates Foundation has renewed its pledge through 2029 to match that 2-to-1 for a total yearly contribution of up to $150 million.
Visit endpolio.org for more about the Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio.
