“Mommy, what’s Polio?”
On Monday, October 23rd New Tecumseth’s Mayor Rick Milne will declare the week of October 23rd to 3oth as End Polio Now Week in New Tecumseth. To mark the start of this special week, the End Polio Now Flag will be raised on Monday, October 23rd and will fly at the municipal offices in Alliston all that week. If you live within New Tecumseth, please join members of The Rotary Club of Alliston as we participate in this event.
We in Canada are so fortunate that the question, “Mommy, what’s polio?” can still be asked by our children. Polio has not been a health problem for many decades, thanks to proof of immunization being required for school attendance. Some of us still remember members of our families and friends suffering from polio and, indeed, having to spend most of their days in an iron lung.
The developing world has not been so fortunate. Today there are three countries where the polio virus is still endemic: Afghanistan; Pakistan; and now, again, Nigeria. According to recent reports, there have been nine new cases this year. We need to stop this spread quickly. In June, at the Rotary International Convention, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, announced another CA$100 million in the fight to eradicate polio. This brings Canada’s total contribution to nearly US$650 million. We can be very proud of our government’s significant help in this endeavour.
To sustain this progress, and protect all children from polio, experts say $1.5 billion is urgently needed. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to previously polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk. Rotary has contributed more than $1.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio. Through 2018, every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $35 million a year.
If you or an organization with which you are affiliated would like to do your part, please go to
www.clubrunner.ca/trfc/ and follow the link to donate. For approximately $1 you can immunize a child against this crippling disease.