End Polio Now
DESPITE CORONA: POLIO (KINDERLÄHMUNG) STAY IMPORTANT!
In addition to acute fighting against corona, polio is also absolutely necessary. The chairman of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has pointed out the suspension of vaccination actions due to the current movement and contact restrictions, expressing his great concern that polio will continue to spread.
Rotary clubs have been active worldwide for over thirty years to inform about the polio, collect donations and gain support so that this disease that is avoidable by vaccination is no longer present.
The progress made so far is considerable. In 1988, Polio was distributed in 125 countries, with more than 350,000 new cases worldwide.
Since then, Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have reduced the presence of polio infections by more than 99.99 percent, vaccinated more than 2.5 billion children against the virus and prevented 18 million diseases. Over the years, Rotary has helped one country by another to be declared polio-free – Nigeria is finally polio-free as the third last country. The fight against polio has not yet won in Pakistan and Afghanistan.