200,000 children can suffer from polio in a year
The Rotary Club of Tonbridge will be one of thousands of Rotary clubs across the world taking action on World Polio Day to raise awareness, funds and support to end polio. This vaccine-preventable disease still threatens children in parts of the world today.
If polio is not eradicated, it is estimated that, within 10 years, as many as 200,000 children annually all over the world could succumb to polio, including here in the United Kingdom.
Many polio related activities will be using the colour purple, which has become a symbolic colour in the fight against polio, inspired by the colour of the dye painted on the little finger of a child to signify they have received a potentially life-saving polio vaccine.
In Tonbridge, as a way of commemorating the work of Rotary worldwide in combating this disease, the Rotary Club will be planting 4,000 crocus corms opposite Tonbridge School on Sunday 24 October so that in Springtime a carpet of purple flowers can be seen.
Globally, more than 2.5 billion children have been protected against the disease, which has reduced the number of cases by 99.9% from around 1,000 cases per day in 125 countries. Rotary has committed to raising US$50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts and thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation every £1 we raise is matched 2-to-1 so is worth £3.
In August 2020, Rotary and the world celebrated a significant milestone, as the World Health Organization certified the Africa region, which includes 47 countries, free from wild polio.
This leaves just Pakistan and Afghanistan as the two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world. But despite this momentous progress, more challenging work lies ahead to eradicate the disease for good.
Tonbridge Rotary Club President Barry Ednie commented:
“We’re proud to be marking World Polio Day locally and recognising the work of Rotary and our partners and the millions of people involved in so many ways in the fight for a polio-free world. Only together can we end polio, a virus that is still potentially just a plane ride away.”
“We have seen over the past two years with COVID-19, that cases of a disease anywhere, is a threat to everyone, everywhere. We’ve also seen the power of vaccines and community togetherness, and how we can all play our part. The members of Tonbridge Rotary Club remain committed to working with our communities and our partners to eliminate this potentially deadly virus and make Rotary's dream of a polio-free world a reality.”
The Rotary Club of Tonbridge meets on Thursdays at the Best Western Rose & Crown Hotel in Tonbridge. Email tonbridgerotary@gmail.com or telephone 01732 851663.