ROTARY MARKS PROGRESS TOWARDS A POLIO-FREE WORLD

Rotary members in Tanzania are acting in honor of 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.

Speaking during the Rotary Polio walk event in honor of the World Polio Day on 24th October, the Rotary Past District Governor (PDG) Sharmila Bhatt said that Polio anywhere is a threat everywhere, and Rotary members have long worked to end the paralyzing virus, which will be only the second human disease ever to be eradicated. Thanks to their continued efforts, wild polio only circulates in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and polio cases have been reduced by 99.9% worldwide over the past 35-plus years.

Rotary has contributed more than US$2.7 billion to fight polio and countless volunteer hours since launching its PolioPlus program in 1985. In 1988, Rotary joined in partnership with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to form the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, later joined. When the initiative launched, there were 350,000 cases of polio every year. Today, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9%.

To sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine, Rotary has committed to raising US$50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts. The Gates Foundation has pledged to match that 2-to-1 for a total yearly contribution of US$150 million.

Rotary brings together a global network of community leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. We connect 1.4 million members from more than 46,000 Rotary clubs across the world. Their service improves lives both locally and internationally, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.

In Tanzania, there are 41 active Rotary Clubs, 16 of which are based in Dar es Salaam.