In response to the polio outbreak in the Congo, Rotary International and partners, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, WHO, UNICEF, and the CDC, are taking action. Rotary is providing a total of US$500,000 in emergency grants for immediate polio immunisation efforts throughout the country.
Nearly a hundred people have died in the outbreak, with 226 cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) reported earlier this month. Most cases involve young people aged between 15 and 29 years old. To date, four of the AFP cases have been confirmed as polio.
According to WHO, at least three national vaccination campaigns are planned to combat the outbreak, with the first targeting three million people of all ages in the Congo Republic and parts of neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola.
Outbreaks of imported polio cases are not uncommon during eradication efforts, underscoring the critical need to stop transmission of the virus in the remaining polio-endemic countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland members work throughout the year to help eradicate polio from the world. Groups go out to India to administer the polio vaccine twice a year and members have been planting purple crocuses as part of Thanks for Life, the national awareness and fundraising campaign, which will peak in February next year with activities in communities.
If you would like to know more about Thanks for Life or would like to make a donation to the campaign, please visit our How to Donate page.
