October 24 is World Polio Day, when Rotary members and communities worldwide come together to raise awareness and support efforts to eradicate one of the world’s most devastating diseases.
Polio is a highly contagious disease that can cause permanent paralysis and, in severe cases, death. It primarily affects children under the age of five. While many of us in the United States may think of polio as a disease of the past, it has not yet been eliminated.
Rotary has been working to end polio for more than 45 years. Since 1988, Rotary and its partners have helped reduce polio cases worldwide by 99.9% and have helped protect more than 3 billion children in 122 countries through vaccination and other eradication efforts. Today, wild polio remains endemic in only Afghanistan and Pakistan.
That incredible progress is something to celebrate—but it is also why we cannot stop now. We must keep working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.
Every child deserves the opportunity to grow up free from the threat of polio. Continued vaccination, disease surveillance, and rapid response are essential to protecting the progress that has taken decades to make.
This World Polio Day, Help Us Finish the Job.
The Rotary Club of Prescott-Frontier encourages our members, friends, and community to join us in supporting Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign. Every donation helps provide vaccines, transportation, and other resources needed to keep children protected.
Together, we can help make history by making polio a disease of the past.
Donate today and help Rotary finish the fight. Donate to End Polio Now
Learn more about Rotary’s global effort: Rotary — Ending Polio
Four Prescott-Area Rotary Clubs Welcome New Leadership
