Today (30th July 2010) marks one year since the Horn of Africa was declared polio free with Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda having reported no wild poliovirus cases for more than 12 months.
The outbreak in 2008 resulted from an outbreak of the wild poliovirus type 1 in the border area of southern Sudan and Ethiopia, and spread in early 2009 to the northern Sudanese city of Port Sudan, and to Kenya and Uganda. Sadly, 101 children were paralysed by polio in these four countries between 2 March 2008 and 30 July 2009. The cases in Port Sudan sparked particular international concern as it was from this area that, from 2004 to 2006, wild poliovirus type 1 spread to re-infect several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Yemen and Indonesia.
The rapid immunisation response was in part funded by Rotary, whose members are committed to making the world polio free. A combination of cross country immunisation campaigns and strong political engagement by the affected countries succeeded in driving the disease out.
In 1985, Rotary promised to eradicate polio and since then over two billion children have been immunised. Thanks to this commitment by Rotarians, working with Unicef, WHO, CDC and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, there are now just 4 endemic countries: Nigeria, Northern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland’s (RIBI) national Thanks for Life campaign will see hundreds of Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland linking up with schools, businesses, organisations and individuals to hold a range of fundraising events for the second year of Thanks for Life. Events are taking place throughout the months leading to Wednesday, February 23, 2011 which is Rotary Day, the 106th birthday of the organisation.
To help consign this crippling and sometimes fatal disease to the past, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $350m in grant money. In return, Rotary will raise $200m by June 2012. Together, over half a billion dollars will be put towards the goal of creating a polio free world. The Microsoft Founder, Bill Gates, has created ‘Gates Notes’, a blog for people to follow as he travels around the affected areas.
Find out how you can be involved with Thanks for Life.
