Today, October 24th is World Polio Day, a day set apart for Rotary members, public health advocates and all who want a world free from polio to come together, to recognize the progress that has been made in the fight to end polio and to talk about actions that are still needed. Welcomed to the Rotary Club of Belleville by Past President Peter Malone, Bob Wallace spoke to the Club about the number one priority in his mind and that is the eradication of polio.
Back in the 70's, one man thought we could eradicate polio in the Phillipines and he received grant money and was successful in his endeavour. Shortly after, the World Health Organization joined the fight and with Rotary's experience along with Unicef and other government partners, the drive to eradicate polio worldwide became a reality. Polio is a paralyzing and potentially fatal disease that still threatens children in some part of the world. Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries from this disease. Rotary's advocacy efforts have played a role in governments contributing more than $10 billion to the effort.
Rotary has committed to raising $50 million per year for polio eradication. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match that 2-to-1 for a total commitment of $150 million each year. These funds provide much needed operational support, medical workers, laboratory equipment and educational materials.
Rotary and its partners have made tremendous progress against polio, but eliminating all cases is going to take even more progress and perseverance. Afghanistan and Pakistan face unique challenges, including political insecurity, highly mobile populations, difficult terrain and in some instances, vaccine refusal and misinformation. There are currently 23 cases of polio in Afghanistan and 39 cases in Pakistan.
When Rotary and its partners formed the GPEI in 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries every year. Today, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9%. Because of the efforts of Rotary and its partners, nearly 19 million people who would otherwise have been paralyzed are walking and more than 1.5 million people are alive who would otherwise have died. The infrastructure that Rotary helped to build to end polio is also being used to treat and prevent other diseases (including COVID-19). There is trust in Rotary. Bob himself has participated in an immunization project in India and although he will never see that mom or baby again, he is determined that polio will not be one of the hardships in life that they face. What can we do? Continue to support financially, continue to advocate for support from our governments. Canada has led the way for others to donate to this cause. Keep talking. Keep supporting. Polio is still around and really, it's only a plane ride away.