World Polio Day 2015
Posted by Sean Paddy
on Oct 15, 2015
How close are we to a polio-free world? What’s needed to finish the job? Can we make history together?
During 2014, total of 359 Wild Polio Virus cases were identified; 306 (85%) were detected in Pakistan, 28 (8%) in Afghanistan, 6 (2%) in Nigeria and 19 (5%) were in outbreaks following importation into previously polio free countries in Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon), the Horn of Africa (Somalia and Ethiopia) and the Middle East (Iraq and Syria). During January 1 - March 30, 2015, the low polio virus transmission season, as of May 5, a total of 23 cases had been reported worldwide (22 from Pakistan, and one from Afghanistan). No cases were reported in non-endemic countries to date in 2015, compared with nine cases in five previously polio - free countries reported during the same period in 2014.
With the progress achieved in 2014 to interrupt endemic WPV transmission in Nigeria and polio outbreaks in Africa and the Middle East, permanent interruption of global polio virus transmission appears possible in the near future, provided that similar progress can be made in Afghanistan and Pakistan; progress there would also reduce the risk for future importation - related outbreaks in polio free countries.
No new cases have been detected in Nigeria since July 2014. However, transmission in Pakistan and Afghanistan continue in 2015, and control efforts are challenged by ongoing areas of insecurity.
We are appealing to every club and every Rotarian to make a contribution to Polio Eradication. We are very near (the final inch) to realizing the dream and goal to eradicate this dreaded polio virus once and for all. All children under the age of five are at risk if not immunized.
However, progress towards global vaccination targets for 2015 is far off- track with 1 in 5 children still missing out on routine life- saving immunization that could avert 1.5 million deaths each year from preventable diseases - Polio, Tetanus, Pneumonia, Dipthera and Measles. Let us give the gift of mobility.
Let's be part of the global effort to eradicate the tenacious polio plus viruses and lets make history together.
Thanking you in advance for your kind and generous contribution.
End Polio Now.
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Join thousands on 23 October 2015 for the third annual World Polio Day event. There'll be a live stream from New York City, so tune in at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time to watch a global status update on the fight to end polio and take part in the conversation. Guests will include Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, celebrity ambassadors, polio survivors, and others.
If you can’t join us live, you can still be a part of this moment in history. Share your voice online, advocate with your government, or create your own World Polio Day event with the material provided on this page which includes:
- World Polio Day Toolkit - Learn about polio eradication, how to get involved, and how to make your voice heard on World Polio Day.
- World Polio Day Social Media Graphics Kit - Share these graphics on your social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to raise awareness and support for the final push to end polio.
- Media & Advocacy Toolkit - Use and customize sample press releases, letters to the editor, invitation letters and outreach guides to help secure support from governments, non-governmental organizations, corporations, and others.
For more information, visit EndPolio.org
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For as little as US 60 cents worth of vaccine, a child can be protected for life.
Your donation now works even harder: Every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will become three dollars, thanks to a 2-to-1 match from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
To donate, please visit EndPolio.org/Donate
