EMPORUM ROTARY DONATES TO WORLD POLIO DAY

EMPORUM ROTARY DONATES TO WORLD POLIO DAY OCTOBER 24TH

Emporium Rotary members brown bagged their lunch at their meeting Tuesday and donated lunch money to the PolioPlus campaign, contributing $500.00 to the cause. Over the years, the club has donated thousands of dollars in the effort to eradicate polio. The goal of PolioPlus program is the global certification of polio eradication. By the time the world is certified polio-free, Rotary’s contribution to the global polio eradication effort will exceed US $2.2 billion including $985 million in matching funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Polio destroys nerve cells in the spinal cord causing muscle wasting and paralysis Since the first U.S. polio epidemic in 1894 in Rutland County, Vermont where there were18 deaths and 132 cases of permanent paralysis reported, Rotary has made it a goal to eradicate polio. Since 1988 the number of polio endemic countries declined from over 125 countries to three in 2017 – Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The number of polio cases has declined by more than 99.9% from over 350,000 in 1985 to 22 in 2017. In America, children receive the recommended 4 does as part of their routine well-child visits at age 2 and 4 months, between 6 and 18 months and finally before school entry-between ages 4 and 6 years old.

Some prominent people impacted by polio are Donald Sutherland, Alan Aldo, David Sanborn, Emmett Till and Francis Ford Coppola. Please vaccinate your children so they will be immunized against this debilitating disease.