Dear Polio Eradication Warriors,

FOUR new Wild Polio cases reported this week.

What is that Polio Picture?  This picture shows the beauty of a vaccinated child.  There is still time to make your personal Polio donation and to organize a virtual or in person World Polio Day Event for your club or community.  l made a donation to PolioPlus this week in honor of World Polio Day.  Will you please join me?

Let’s Take Action!  World Polio Day – October 24

A polio-free world is possible, but we can achieve it only by taking action together. With the challenges to vaccination programs posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s even more crucial that Rotary continues to build awareness and raise funds for polio eradication.

Join the effort to vaccinate children and end polio by organizing a World Polio Day event for your club and community. In 2019, Rotary members held more than 5,900 events in 136 countries. This year, online events and activities will allow us to expand our reach even more and inspire others to join us.

Pakistan announced last week that 39 million children were vaccinated by 8,150 vaccination teams – including 699,762 zero dose children – in the five day Polio vaccination/Covid education campaign ending 10/25/20.

October 15 is Global Handwashing Day

Global Handwashing Day was a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases.

Now that we are down to the Final Two Polio Endemic Countries – I will be listing Sixteen Reasons We need to End Polio in Pakistan (from Dawn.com):  # 8. If not taken seriously, the polio situation will get worse in 2020.  Even before the Covid pandemic struck, there were signs that 2020 was going to be hard year for polio in Pakistan.  As the fight goes on against Covid, we must also continue to give due attention to the Polio eradication effort.

A Win Against Polio is a Win for Global Health!

How Many Children have we saved from the paralysis of Polio?
That number has now reached 20 Million! That’s a number to celebrate and to share!

Vaccine Derived Polio Cases –   436  Vaccine Derived Polio Cases reported in 2020:  Afghanistan – 87 (0 in 2019), Angola – 3 (129 in 2019), Benin – 1 (8 in 2019), Burkina Faso – 10 (1 in 2019), Cameroon – 5 (0 in 2019), CAR – 2 (21 in 2019),Chad 69 ((10 in 2019),China – 0 (1 In 2019),    Cote d’ Ivoire 33 (0 in 2019),DRC – 56 (86 in 2019),Ethiopia – 16 (11 in 2019),Ghana – 11 (18 in 2019), Guinea – 29 (0 in 2019), Mali – 5, Malaysia – 1 (3 in 2019), Myanmar – 0 (6 in 2019),  Niger – 8 (1 in 2019),Nigeria – 1 (18 in 2019),Pakistan – 64 (22 in 2019), Papua New Guinea – 0 (0 in 2019). Philippines – 1 (16 in 2019),  Somalia – 19 (3 in 2019), South Sudan – 3 (0 in 2019), Sudan – 3, Togo – 9 (8 in 2019), Zambia – 0 (2 in 2019).

361 Vaccine Derived Polio cases were reported in 2019.

Quote of the Day

“Example, whether it be good or bad, has a powerful influence.”  George Washington

The Final Two Polio Endemic Countries:

1 new Polio cases reported this past week.
53 Wild Polio cases – 2020. The most recent cases had an onset of paralysis on 9/13/20.
29 Wild Polio cases – 2019. No Polio-Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Afghanistan.

Our Goal is Global Polio Eradication!!

Terry Ziegler, Endowment/Major Gifts Adviser Rotary Region 26