The Ghana National Polio Plus committee in collaboration with Rotary clubs in Ghana will mark historic progress toward a polio-free world while urging the community to help end the paralyzing disease
Event is amongst thousands to be held by Rotary clubs around the world on World Polio Day, 24 October
Accra, GHANA 24th October 2019 — Rotary members in the City of Accra are taking action on World Polio Day to raise awareness, funds, and support to end polio, a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today.
The Ghana National Polio Plus Committee, a focus group of Rotary International dedicated to the fight against Polio is celebrating WORLD POLIO DAY today. About one million, one hundred Rotarians worldwide are also celebrating this day.
The theme of Rotary International in celebrating the day is END POLIO NOW. This is also to enforce Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation’s zeal to ensure that the world becomes POLIO FREE forever.
The disease Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that mostly affects children under the age of 5. Most known as poliovirus, the virus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system and, in some instances, may lead to paralysis. There is no cure for the disease but there is a safe and effective vaccine, which Rotary and its partners use to immunize children. Over 2.5 billion children worldwide have been vaccinated.
Ghana was declared Polio free in 2015 when no wild polio cases were reported in the country. Unfortunately, a few months ago, there were some cases of circulating “vaccine derived polio virus” in the environment in some parts of the country.
This resulted in The Ghana Health Service declaring a state of emergency in August. The GHS in collaboration with the Ghana National Polio Plus committee, WHO, UNICEF and other partners embarked on emergency strategic vaccination program across the country.
Rotary and the GNNPPC is committed to ensure that the country is rid of all polio cases as well as ensuring that polio is completely eradicated from the surface on the earth.
If we do not increase our efforts to fight polio, it is likely that in about 10 years, we may have close to 200,000 new cases worldwide.
Although there are currently only 2 endemic countries, no child anywhere is safe until we have vaccinated every child.
The need to ensure that our communities remain clean and as well as citizens maintain good hygiene to be re-emphasized.
Rotary’s partners in the fight against Polio include Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, WHO, Church of Latter-Day Saints, Centre for Disease Control (CDC) amongst other institutions and Ministries of Health in various countries. To date, the Rotary Foundation has contributed about US$1.6 billion dollars to the fight to eradicate polio.
Rotary is calling on all Ghanaians to support its fight to eradicate polio rom the surface of the earth. Polio can be prevented but not treatable.
The Day would be marked by all Rotarians at an event on 2th October at 3:30 pm at the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints, 57 Independence Avenue. Accra-Ghana
When Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative more than three decades ago, polio paralyzed 1,000 children every day. We’ve made great progress against the disease since then. Polio cases have dropped by 99.9 percent, from 350,000 cases in 1988 in 125 countries to 33 cases of wild poliovirus in 2018 in just two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. And we remain committed to the end.
With polio nearly eradicated, Rotary and its partners must sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk. Rotary has committed to raising US$50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match that 2-to-1, for a total yearly contribution of $150 million.
Rotary has contributed more than $1.9 billion to ending polio since 1985.
About Rotary
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who unite and take action to create lasting change in communities around the globe. For more than 110 years, Rotary’s people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to improve lives through service. From promoting literacy and peace to providing clean water and improving health care, Rotary members are always working to better the world. Visit endpolio.org to learn more about Rotary and the fight to eradicate polio.