End Polio Now – Rotary Nelson

30 years ago, Rotary vowed to eradicate Polio from the whole world. We’re nearly there!

Friday 24^th July marked one year since the last case of wild poliovirus was found in Nigeria, the only remaining country in Africa where polio had never been stopped. This achievement could signal that the world will soon see a polio-free Africa, a major milestone in global public health.

Rotary — the global organization composed of more than 34,000 community-based Rotary clubs — has been a leader in the fight to eradicate polio since 1985, when it launched PolioPlus, the first global initiative to immunize children against polio. The organization has contributed more than $US 1.4 billion to efforts to end the disease.

Rotarian Om Prakash Jaiswal, of the Rotary Club of Birgunj, Nepal, administers the polio vaccine to children in rural neighborhoods near Birgunj, Nepal, during a subnational polio immunization day. Border towns with little regulation like Birgunj create high risk of the spread of the poliovirus. Subnational immunization days take place more often than larger annual events and target strategic locations based on research by Rotary's polio eradication partners, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. — *Rotarian Om Prakash Jaiswal, of the Rotary Club of Birgunj, Nepal, administers the polio vaccine to children in rural neighborhoods near Birgunj, Nepal.*

Local Rotary clubs have done their part too. Last year our Rotary District gave US$33,377 to the End Polio Now campaign. In recent years volunteers have assisted with immunisation campaigns in India, including Jenny Black, Janette Wilcox, Jan Bradbury, Jane Dillon, Suzanne Marshall and Rex Morris.