District governor Tom Lightbourne's Speech - PolioPlus

On Wednesday 18^th, January 2006, at our regular luncheon meeting, District Governor Tom Lightbourne focused his official address to Rotary International's PolioPlus Project. The following details the PolioPlus Project.

About PolioPlus

In 1985, Rotary launched the PolioPlus program to protect children worldwide from the cruel and fatal consequences of polio. In 1988, the World Health Assembly challenged the world to eradicate polio. Since that time, Rotary's efforts and those of partner agencies, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and governments around the world, have achieved a 99% reduction in the number of polio cases worldwide. Rotarians stand at the brink of a great victory and look forward to celebrating the global eradication of polio.

Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign

Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign was launched in 2002-03 to address urgent needs in polio eradication. The campaign set an initial goal of raising US$80 million in cash and commitments in one year. Rotarians more than exceeded expectations by raising $111.5 million by 30 June 2003. With additional contributions in the next two years, the total now stands at $135 million in cash, DDF, and government matching funds.

The success of the campaign has truly been global in scope. Contributions have been received from all 529 of the 529 Rotary Districts and from 153 countries. More than 20,000 clubs have made contributions. Eight districts have raised more than $1 million each.

In the words of Dr. David Heymann, Special Representative to the Director General of the World Health Organization on Polio Eradication: "Rotarians have proven yet again that when there is a need, they will meet the challenge with enthusiasm and support. Rotarians can be proud that their hard work will contribute to conquering the last remnants of polio."

Although the deadline has passed for contributions to be counted for the Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign (PEFC), the PolioPlus program continues to welcome contributions from Rotarians who are interested in making additional gifts. Donations can be made either to the PolioPlus Program or to PolioPlus Partners. Funds will help to support increased needs in Africa and Asia due to outbreaks caused by importations.

PolioPlus Partners

In Bangladesh, the PolioPlus Partners Program bought posters that announced polio National Immunization Days.

PolioPlus Partners is a Rotary Foundation program by which Rotary clubs, districts, and individual Rotarians may voluntarily assist in reaching Rotary's goal of a polio-free world. They support the immunization activities of Rotary and its worldwide partners, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by keeping Rotarians informed of progress, promoting accurate media coverage, volunteering in National Immunization Days (NIDs) and providing needed resources in regions with, or at risk, for polio.

PolioPlus Partners has a task force of dedicated Rotarians who are available to make presentations or answer questions related to Rotary's involvement in polio eradication.

PolioPlus Milestones

1908 to 2005

The timeline below outlines important dates in the polio epidemics in the United States and Rotary's efforts to rid the world of polio.

1350 B.C.	Images throughout history have depicted individuals with withered arms and legs walking with assistance from a staff or crutch.
1908	Karl Landsteiner determines that polio is a virus rather than bacteria.
1916	Thousands of New Yorkers flee the city as one of the largest epidemics of the century occurs, paralyzing 27,000 people and killing 9,000.
1952	558,000 people contract polio, leaving thousands permanently afflicted.
1954	Nobel Peace Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to John Franklin Enders, Thomas Huckle Weller, and Frederick Chapman Robbins for their discovery of the ability of poliomyelitis viruses to grow in cultures of various types of tissue.
1955	First inactivated polio vaccine announced by Dr. Jonas Salk. 1.8 million school children participate in trials of the Salk vaccine.
1961	Dr. Albert Sabin's oral polio vaccine approved for use by the American Medical Association.
1974	The World Health Organization begins its Expanded Programme on Immunization to combat measles, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, tuberculosis, and polio.
1979	Rotary clubs of Manila, Philippines, fund children immunization initiatives. World certified free of smallpox, the first disease to be eradicated by mankind.
1985	Rotary International launches a global health campaign to aid international agencies in immunizing children in developing countries. PolioPlus is the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector support of a public health initiative.
1988	Rotarians around the world raise more than US$246 million in PolioPlus funds, which will grow to almost US$500 million by 1999.
1988	The 160 member countries of the World Health Assembly set the goal of eradicating polio worldwide by 2000, with certification by 2005. Public sector partners in the global eradication effort include the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
1991	Massive immunization campaigns take place in Central and South America. Luis Fermin Tenorio, a toddler from Peru, is identified as the last polio-stricken child in the Americas.
1993	China holds its first National Immunization Days (NIDs) against polio for 80 million children. Rotary has helped to immunize more than 500 million children against polio by this date.
1994	The Americas are certified polio-free
1995	Nearly 300 million children receive OPV during NIDs conducted in 51 countries including China and India. This represents almost 50 percent of all the world's children under the age of five.
1996	26 sub-Saharan African countries hold coordinated NIDs against polio, signaling the beginning of the last push against the crippling disease. More than 50 million children are to be immunized.
	1996: 150 polio-free countries worldwide
1997	More than 260 million children are vaccinated in nine countries in Asia.
1998	In India more than 100,000 Rotary members, their families, friends, and co-workers join the Indian government in immunizing 130 million children on one day � the largest public health event in history.
	90 percent reduction in polio cases since 1988
1999	Liberia holds its first National Immunization Day, signaling the last polio-endemic country in the world to conduct mass polio immunization drive.
	1999: 7,083 cases of polio reported worldwide
2000	Western Pacific region is polio-free
	2000: Since 1988, a 99 percent reduction in polio cases, from 350,000 to fewer than 3,500, has occurred.
2001	Seventeen West and Central African countries join together in synchronized National Immunization Days to immunize 76 million children.
2002	At the beginning of the year, only ten countries remain polio endemic. European region is polio free
2003	Only seven countries remain polio-endemic
2005	Rotarians and partners celebrate the tremendous progress made towards polio eradication.