By Patrick Moynahan
Special to NKyTribune
If you see a Florence Rotarian wearing a red, white and yellow sticker on Wednesday, ask why.
They will tell you they are freeing the world of polio and you can help.
They also will tell you they are close to the finish line. That’s why Rotary International is celebrating World Polio Day on Wednesday, Oct. 24, and Rotarians are wearing End Polio Now stickers.
Polio has been eradicated in all but three countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria, according to Greg Palmer, director of the Rotary Club of Florence Foundation.
“The only places left are in the meanest, darkest, most difficult places to get to in the world,” Palmer said. “It will cost more money to get there and that’s why we need your help.”
The World Polio Day celebration will be streamed live from Philadelphia. The program will highlight progress in the eradication program and the work that remains to wipe it out completely.
Palmer said polio touched most families in America in the 1960s before a vaccine was widely available. Approximately 350,000 cases were reported across 125 countries when Rotary International and the World Health Organization launched the Global Eradication Initiative in 1988.
Rotary International has contributed nearly $2.2 billion to the eradication effort, including $985 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. That foundation is contributing $2 for $1 raised by Rotary International in the final push, Palmer said.
The worldwide effort has reduced the number of reported cases of polo by 99.9 percent, according to Rotary International. So far this year, only 20 new cases have been reported: 15 in Afghanistan and five in Pakistan.
Failure to eradicate polio in every country could lead to another epidemic like the one in the United States in the 1960s, Palmer said.
“I don’t want my kids and grandkids to see that,” he said.
The Livestream World Polio Day event will be broadcast at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday. To learn more about how to donate and connect to the Livestream, click here. https://www.endpolio.org
The Rotary Club of Florence, Kentucky (serving all of Boone County) is a community service organization focusing on “service above self.” The club meets weekly on Mondays at noon at the Hilton Airport located at 7373 Turfway Road. Guests are always welcome. To learn more about upcoming speakers and events, please visit the club’s website.
