THE ROTARY CLUB OF BANBRIDGE

Polio Eradication

Did you know that . . .

• Polio is a highly infectious disease that primarily affects children under the age of three and can cause paralysis within hours.
  
  
• Before eradication efforts began in 1988, polio paralysed more than 1,000 children a day, which totalled about 350,000 children annually. The incidence of polio has since declined by more than 99 percent.
  
  
• Vaccinations easily can stave off polio. Vaccinations have prevented an estimated 500,000 children per year from contracting polio. A child can be protected against polio for as little as 60 cents (US) worth of vaccine.
  
  
• Today, polio cases are only found in four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
  
  
• Rotary International is the spearheading member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and is the largest private sector donor. It has contributed more than US$600 million to the polio eradication activities in 122 countries. In addition, tens of thousands of Rotarians have partnered with their national ministries of health, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and with health providers at the grassroots level in thousands of communities.

Back

HOME