Polio Plus II

In this episode we will be sharing sixth historical PowerPoint presentation on PolioPlus prepared by R.I. POLIOPLUS - ROTARY'S FINEST HOUR

"PolioPlus is not about raising money;
it is about saving children" - Water Maddocks.

Rotary's involvement in Polio began in 1979, when it helped to immunize SIX million children in the Philippines as its first project under the new 3H Grants program.

In 1982, the R.I. Board pledge to immunize "all of the world's children against polio by the time of the 100th anniversary of the Rotary International in 2005.

Rotary revealed PolioPlus to world leaders at the 40th anniversary of the United Nations in 1985..... and to the public during the 1986 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California,USA.

At the 1988 Philadelphia Convention PolioPlus contributions surpassed the goal of US $ 120 million. Contribution eventually reached $ 247 million.

In 1988, inspired by Rotary's success the 166 nations of the World Health Assembly resolved to eradicate Polio.

With an initial core grant of $5.3 million from The Rotary Foundation, WHO's Polio Eradication program became the largest public health program in history.

Rotary is the lead private-sector partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Other spearheading partners are WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),and the local government

More than one million men and women of Rotary have volunteered their time and personal resources to help immunize two billion children in 122 countries.

Established in 1995, the Polio Eradication Champion Award has been presented to 87 heads of state, health agency leaders, and others who have made a significant contribution to the global eradication of polio.

The Americas were declared polio-free in 1994, as was the Western Pacific region in 2000, and Europe in 2002.

In February of 2002, Rotary unveiled its Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign "Fulfilling our Promise: Eradicate Polio." Its goal was to raise $80 million in one year.

At the 2003 RI Convention in Brisbane, Australia, RI President Bhichai Rattakul announced that more than $88 million had been raised. As of 31 August 2004, over $130 million has been raised.

By the time the world is certified polio-free, Rotary's contributions will exceed $600 million.

Since 1985, the number of Polio cases has dropped from 350,000 - or nearly 1,000 per day - to fewer than 1,000 in 2003.

As we near Rotary's 100th anniversary, only six countries remain polio endemic. (Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan)

As of 8th December, 2004 Global case count of Polio is total 1047. (Afghnistan-03, Egypt-01, India-109, Niger-22, Nigeria-726,Pakistan-42)