PHILIPSBURG--In continuing its support for the eradication of polio worldwide, Rotary Club of Maarten Mid-Isle held its second fundraising event this past Saturday, The Ramesh Manek “End Polio Now” walk-a-thon.
At 6:00am, 139 persons started to walk, run and cycle in support of the eradication of polio. There were some who could not make the walk, but came to support Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle by participating in the breakfast. In support of eradicating world polio, Mid Isle will dedicate its meeting on Tuesday to polio. The public is invited to join the club.
Every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, up to $35 million a year through 2018. These funds help to provide much-needed operational support, medical personnel, laboratory equipment and educational materials for health workers and parents. Governments, corporations and private individuals all play a crucial role in funding towards the eradication of polio.
Poliomyelitis (polio) is a paralysing and potentially fatal disease that still threatens children in some parts of the world. The polio virus invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. It can strike at any age, but mainly affects children under five. Polio is incurable, but completely vaccine-preventable.
Today, there are only three countries in the world that have never stopped transmission of the wild poliovirus: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. Less than 75 polio cases were confirmed worldwide in 2015, which is a reduction of more than 99.9 per cent since the 1980s, when the world saw about 1,000 cases per day.
The polio cases represented by the remaining one per cent are the most difficult to prevent, due to factors including geographical isolation, poor public infrastructure, armed conflict and cultural barriers. Until polio is eradicated, all countries remain at risk of outbreaks. Until polio is eradicated, Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle will remain fully committed to the global fight for the total eradication of polio through its awareness and fundraising projects.
Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle meets at Mary’s Boone in Simpson Bay on Tuesdays at 7:00pm. For more information, contact
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Facebook page Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle.
