Rotary International: World Polio Day

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In honor of World Polio Day 2020, which is widely recognized on October 24, the Rotary Clubs of Oshawa and Oshawa-Parkwood and Durham College are co-hosting and livestreaming a World Polio Day Event from the new Global Classroom in the new Centre for Collaborative Education at Durham College on Thursday, October 22, 2020.

During the World Polio Day 2020 from Durham College , we will also be livestreaming Rotary International’s eighth annual World Polio Day event, as we celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the founding of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Dr. Bob Scott – (Past Vice President of Rotary International, Past Chair of the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation and Past Chair of the Rotary International PolioPlus Committee) will be updating the world-wide audience about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio and he will be talking LIVE with Rotary International Past President Ian Riseley from his home in Australia as they discuss what Rotary has done and continues to do to rid polio from the world.

Proclamations indicating October 24 as World Polio Day , thanking Rotary Clubs in Durham Region for their efforts to raise funds and create awareness about our efforts to eradicate polio from the face of the earth, will be presented to the 10 Rotary Clubs in Durham Region from :Durham Regional Chair John Henry (a fellow Rotarian), and , from the Mayors of the 8 municipalities in Durham Region.

We will also see the End Polio Now Flag flying high over many of the cities in Durham Region, the municipality of 700,000 just east of Toronto.

We will take as many questions as possible and direct them to Dr Bob Scott and Past Rotary International President Ian Riseley.

BACKGROUND:

The world is on the verge of eliminating one of the most dreaded diseases of the 20th century — poliomyelitis. During the first half of the 20th century, polio crippled over a half a million people every year. Even today, children in some developing countries continue to fall victim to the disease. But thanks in large part to Rotary International and to the 1.2 million Rotary members worldwide, including the 10 Durham Region Rotary Clubs , the disease will soon be all but a memory.

As World Polio Day draws closer, the world is 99.9% polio-free, the fight to end polio is not over and Rotary Clubs world-wide continue to raise funds to meet the challenge.

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, to 102 cases year to date IN 2020 – 37 in Afghanistan and 65 in Pakistan. And we remain committed to the end..

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, formed in 1988, is a public-private partnership that includes Rotary, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and governments of the world. Rotary’s focus is advocacy, fundraising, volunteer recruitment and awareness-building.

Since 1985, Rotary members world-wide have contributed nearly US$1.9 billion to help immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio, and we have helped secure over US$ 8 billion from donor governments worldwide. Coinciding with World Polio Day, Rotary is ramping up its advocacy work in the 200 countries and regions where Rotary clubs exist to encourage every national government to commit to the funding levels needed to close the gap

With polio nearly eradicated, Rotary and its partners must sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk. Rotary has committed to raising 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.

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Bob Scott – (Past Vice President of Rotary International, Past Chair of the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation and Past Chair of the Rotary International PolioPlus Committee) will be updating the world-wide audience about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio and he will be talking LIVE with Rotary International Past President Ian Riseley from his home in Australia

PROCLAMATIONS & FLAG RAISING: World Polio Day in Durham Region and in the 8 municipalities of Durham Region with 10 Rotary Clubs

Proclamations indicating October 24 as World Polio Day , thanking Rotary Clubs in Durham Region for their efforts to raise funds and create awareness about our efforts to eradicate polio from the face of the earth, will be presented to the 10 Rotary Clubs in Durham Region from :Durham Regional Chair John Henry (a fellow Rotarian), and , from the Mayors of the 8 municipalities in Durham Region.

We will also see the End Polio Now Flag flying high over many of the cities in Durham Region, the municipality of 700,000 just east of Toronto.

We will also livestream Rotary International’s End Polio Now Update from 8:00 pm to 8:30 pm

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

We will take as many questions as possible and direct them to Dr Bob Scott and Past Rotary International president Ian Riseley.

We encourage everyone to join us as the Rotary Clubs in Oshawa and Oshawa-Parkwood partner with Durham College in the Global Classroom in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada and see for yourself how close we are to eradicating polio from this world.