Rotary Club of 100 Mile House president Wolfgang Paasche is bringing attention to a global health initiative that is close to wiping a debilitating disease off the planet.
Much has been accomplished in the last 25 years towards the worldwide eradication of polio (poliomyelitis), a highly infectious disease that mainly affects children under five years of age, and in some cases leads to irreversible paralysis.
However, a last push is needed to get rid of the disease completely, says Paasche, ahead of World Polio Day on Oct. 24.
The Rotary Club of 100 Mile House has been a regular contributor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which was started in 1988 and has since helped to eliminate 99 per cent of cases worldwide.
The initiative is spearheaded by national governments, the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, and supported by key partners, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
To date, Rotary clubs from around the world have contributed more than $1.4 billion to ending polio. A donation of $100 to End Polio Now will be doubled by the Canadian Government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which will add $200 each.
“$500 is enough to immunize 5,000 children,” says Paasche.
“We're not quite done [fighting polio] yet and we have to finish it. We have to give it a last little push. If anyone wants to learn more or be part of it, contact any Rotarian you know.”
In September, the World Health Organization declared Africa’s last polio-endemic country, Nigeria, polio-free, leaving only two countries which have never stopped the virus: Pakistan and Afghanistan, says a Rotary International press release.
“In 1988, when Rotary and its partners committed to eradicating the disease, polio paralyzed more than 350,000 children per year in 125 countries – or, more than 1,000 per day. Since that time, the number of polio cases has been reduced by 99.9 per cent, with less than 50 cases in two countries to date in 2015.”
According to the WHO, as long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio.
“Failure to eradicate polio from these last remaining strongholds could result in as many as 200,000 new cases every year, within 10 years, all over the world.”
For more information, visit www.endpolio.org.