Another £1,000 grant to the Polio Plus campaign this month, from the Rotary Club of Hebden Bridge.

In 1985, Rotary International pledged to rid the world of polio. Rotary spearheaded the Polio Plus campaign at a time when there were over 1,000 polio cases a day in 125 countries. Some of our members remember the time when it was rife in the UK and we are proud to play our part in this hugely ambitious project that has benefitted so many children. Polio is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under 5. The virus can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis or death. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine protecting children worldwide. Today, the number of cases is down by 99.99% and it is estimated that 19 million cases of paralysis and 1.5 million deaths have been prevented. Only two countries are still affected and recorded annual case numbers have fallen to less than ten. But we can’t stop yet. Continued campaigning, health worker training and vaccination programmes are essential to stop the disease returning. Over 400 million children need to be vaccinated each year. Failure to eradicate polio could result in as many as 200,000 new cases across the world each year within a decade.

Rotary, along with our partners in the Global Polio Eradication, remains totally committed to making polio just the second human disease ever to be eradicated. The Rotary Club of Hebden Bridge is playing a small but significant role in reaching that goal.

For more information see: The plus in PolioPlus | Rotary International

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