October 24 will be World Polio Day. Created by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against polio, it is an opportunity to remember that efforts must continue to eradicate this debilitating disease from surface of the earth. Polio continues to pose a threat to children in Pakistan, Afghanistan and areas of armed conflict.
Rotary continues its efforts against polio. Even though spectacular progress has been made towards the eradication of this disease, vigilance remains relevant.
From 350,000 cases per year in 1988 (a child paralyzed every two minutes) and 125 countries where this scourge was endemic, we moved to two affected countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan – with a few dozen cases per year.
Two out of three forms eradicated
Thanks to Rotary, which launched the PolioPlus program, and its partners, more than 3 billion children have been vaccinated since the immunization program began in 1985.
This means that 19 million children have avoided paralysis. Two of the three types of polio virus have been eradicated.
On the other hand, type 1 remains in circulation. The risk of contamination towards non-endemic areas remains real due to population movements linked to conflicts and climate crises.
Breast cancer: do you know how to “self-palpate” yourself?
Another risk for 200,000 children
Even if it is 99% eliminated, polio could affect 200,000 children within 10 years, if current campaigns stop.
District 1740 of Rotary International, which brings together Rotarians from ten departments (Allier, Aveyron, Cantal, Corrèze, Creuse, Dordogne, Haute-Loire, Haute-Vienne, Lozère and Puy-de-Dôme) is participating in this fight against polio by raising funds through numerous actions: hikes, concerts, recycling of ink cartridges, etc.
Polio, like smallpox declared completely eradicated in 1980 by the WHO, must no longer exist. To achieve this objective, all donations and all goodwill are welcome.
Landmarks
Rotary International’s commitment to its fight against poliomyelitis dates back to 1979. It then signed — as part of its “3H” (Health, Hunger and Humanity) program — an agreement with the government of the Philippines to vaccinate 6 million people. ‘children.
In 1985, he officially launched the PolioPlus program. The objective is to eliminate by 2005 this calamity which mainly affects children under 5 years old.
Doctor Albert Sabin, who discovered and developed the polio vaccine in the 1950s, is taken on as an advisor.
The WHO (World Health Organization), three years later, launched the GPEI (Global Polio Eradication Initiative) for the year 2000, with partners: Rotary International, UNICEF (the fund United Nations Children’s Fund) and the Atlanta CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).
The Gates Foundation and GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) later joined these partners.
Albert Sabin refused to patent his vaccine, renouncing any commercial exploitation by the pharmaceutical industries, so that the low price would guarantee wider distribution of the treatment.
Related News :