District 5040 joined Rotarians from across Canada and the USA on October 19 for a walk to end polio.
 

More than 250 Rotarians from across Canada, North East USA and the Russian Far East who were attending the Rotary International Zone Institute at the Westin Bayshore, walked to Jack Poole Plaza along the sea wall to celebrate 99% elimination of polio cases globally and to recommit to achieve total world-wide eradication. The conference delegates were joined by an estimated 50 local District 5040 Rotarians. Leading the walk was RI President Sakuji Tanaka. 

PDG Chris Offer, who coordinated the walk said, “The world has the opportunity to end polio for good, we must vaccinate every child, even children the world has forgotten who grow up with no protection from polio. At a time when most of Canada has long-forgotten what polio even is we must vaccinate in the most remote parts of the world to ensure it never returns.” 

Worldwide, less than a quarter of the 650 infections reported in 2011 have been reported for 2012. Overall, the annual number of polio cases has plummeted by more than 99 percent to fewer than 165. Since the initiative was launched in 1988, when polio infected about 350,000 children a year, more than two billion children have been immunized in 122 countries, preventing an estimated five million cases of paralysis and 250,000 deaths. 

“Events like this walk carry Rotary’s pledge to end polio—saying to the world that we will fight this crippling disease to the end,” says Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka. “But we are not there yet. Rotary and our partners will continue to immunize children until our goal of a polio-free world is achieved. And we must remain vigilant against a resurgence of this terrible disease.” 

Rotary club members worldwide have contributed more than US$1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to the polio eradication effort. 

 

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