QN 23 - Year of Campaigning Vaccinates 1,000s

Posted by Michael Milston on Jun 30, 2017
This edition of Quick News is to update you on the End Polio campaign and your part in its progress.
 
In the early stages of our Rotary Year, Ann and I asked that you help to vaccinate the millions of children who need it, and especially in the three countries where there have been new cases of the polio-virus - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
 
To help raise this awareness I made a New Year's Resolution to not cut my hair or beard until we had raised our target of $US26,500, being $US26.50 per District Rotarian (in real AU$ this is $35,000 or $35 per Rotarian). This target would attract $2 for every $1 (we raised) from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation resulting in a total of $US79,500, sufficient to vaccinate almost 40,000 children! Congratulations to Rotary Club of Bathurst Daybreak for their District winning contribution to the campaign.
 
Well YOU made it! At close of business today, the total District Club contributions to End Polio was $US27,011.36. Add to this the District donated a further $US14,826 from the District Funds received from previous years' Foundation contributions. That makes a total of $US41,837, add the Gates Foundation 2 for 1, and the total from our district is worth over $US125,500 or almost 63,000 vaccinated children - that is Rotary Serving Humanity.
ABC Central West saw value in the story and the commemorative head shave and posted it on facebook [or link: https://www.facebook.com/abccentralwest/videos/1506940272659485/]
 
Of course the need to continue funding Polio vaccination for all new born children will be around for at least three years after the last case is recorded. So please keep up your support.
 
If you want to check additional information on Polio click on the Read More...
 
 
What is Polio?
Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5.
Most know it as polio-virus. The virus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and our partners use to immunize over 2.5 billion children worldwide.
 
5 FACTS about Polio
  1. Polio mainly affects children under age 5.
  2. There is no cure, but polio is preventable with a vaccine.
  3. Only three countries remain endemic.
  4. We’ve reduced cases by 99.9% since 1988.
  5. Until we end polio forever, every child is at risk.
Cases of Polio
Cases this year: Total 10
A  New cases - so far this year, 6
    Afghanistan: 4 cases
    Pakistan: 2 cases
       - there were 11 cases in 2016 for same period
       - there has been a 93% reduction since 2014
    Nigeria: (no new ones in 2017) - 4 cases
B  Outbreak countries - so far this year, 4
These countries are those that have stopped indigenous wild poliovirus but are experiencing re-infection either through the importation of wild or vaccine-derived polio-virus from another country, or the emergence and circulation of vaccine-derived polio-virus.
   Democratic Republic of the Congo: 2 cases
   Syrian Arab Republic: 2 cases
 
Key numbers in the fight to end polio
155 - the number of countries involved in largest coordinated vaccine switch in history
$60 billion - the cost of infectious disease epidemics per year
20 million - the number of volunteers participating
$1.5 billion - the amount needed to eradicate polio
4 - the factor by which health savings exceed the cost of polio eradication