Rotary Club raises awareness to end polio
TAWAU: The Rotary Club of Tawau strives to raise awareness, funds, and support to end polio, a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today.
It will be one of the thousand of events to be held by Rotary clubs around the world on October 24, 2020 which is marked as the World Polio Day.
Its president, Tony Wong, said the 14 club members would be taking part in the ‘Step Up End Polio Challenge’ with a total of 700 volunteer hours.
He said Rotary Club of Tawau members had contributed a total of US$2,140 (RM9,997) to the event, from August 29 till 24, at the Tawau town field.
“When Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries every year. We’ve made great progress against the disease since then.
“Today, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9 percent, and just two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan. And we remain committed to the end,” he said.
With polio nearly eradicated, Wong said Rotary and its partners must sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine.
He said without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk.
“Rotary has committed to raise 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 US$2.1 billion to ending polio since 1985, including US$2,140 donated by the Rotary Club of Tawau.
“Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbours, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who unite and take action to create lasting change in communities around the globe,” he said.
Wong said 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.