FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - “Wait, did you say polio eradication?  Didn’t that already happen?”  If you’re an American who actually knows what polio is, this might be your reaction to that headline.  And indeed, you would be correct as far as the United States goes, since the last case of polio in the US was in 1979.  But even in the early 1980’s, worldwide, polio was paralyzing an estimated 300,000 people per year, almost all of them children under age 6, and was endemic (never eradicated) in 125 countries.  Their paralysis often made victims dependent for life, since the only treatment modalities, bracing and physical therapy, were largely unavailable in the developing countries where the majority of cases occurred.

That all started to change in the mid-1980’s when the Board of Directors of Rotary International, inspired by a successful polio immunization project in the Philippines, decided to make polio eradication their signature global project.  Since polio, like smallpox, is transmitted human-to-human without a vector and can’t survive outside the human body for more than a few weeks, it was possible to eradicate it entirely, as had already been done with smallpox.  But it would be a long difficult project, one requiring expertise that Rotary didn’t have, so Rotary partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 1988 to form the Global Polio Eradication Initiative; in 2007 the Gates Foundation joined the cause.  Since 1988, Rotary has donated $1.8 billion toward the campaign and participated in the vaccination of 2.5 billion children.

The results?  As of late September 2020, polio is now endemic in only two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and this year has paralyzed only 116 victims; it is a truly remarkable achievement.  However, until total eradication, this remains a worldwide project because polio has reared its head several times in countries previously polio-free when vaccination levels have fallen below critical percentages.  So continued financial and moral support will be needed till the end is achieved.  Secure donations can be made at the Rotary International website, rotary.org.

So how is the local Fair Oaks Rotary involved?  Last year their members donated $8,000 to PolioPlus, Rotary’s fund for polio eradication, and this year they expect to surpass that amount by participating in a club project to improve their own health by increasing movement… running, walking, biking, swimming, etc… and pledging money based on miles completed.  In addition, they will host a polio survivor as their meeting speaker on October 19 and participate in several larger Rotary activities on World Polio Day, October 24.

If this project strikes you as something worth supporting, remember that you can donate securely at rotary.org.