The Rotary Club of Yorkton appeared before Yorkton Council Monday to request World Polio Day be declared in the city for Oct. 23.
Local Rotary president Andrew Rae made the presentation noting polio means different things to different people.
“To my niece it means absolutely nothing,” he said, as young people in North America have never lived with the disease.
For older people they are likely to know of someone affected by the disease in the past.
They key aspect in that the disease is a thing of the past in this country.
“We in Canada are blessed … for over 20-years it (polio) hasn’t been a concern,” said Rae.
Rae said in 1985 Rotary, with its 1.2 million members in 200 countries, made a decision to lead an effort to eradicate polio worldwide.
“The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by the Rotary International, the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and raises funds for vaccinations in polio affected communities,” noted material circulated to Council.
“To date, individual Rotary clubs across the globe and from Canada have contributed more than $900 million to the polio eradication effort. In Canada, through strategic partnerships with Rotary International, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada , and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – current dollars raised in support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are being matched and multiplied a total of five times.”
The results of such efforts have been notable.
“Since 1988, through the efforts of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative polio cases have dropped by 99.9 per cent worldwide and the disease is on the verge of being eradicated, remaining endemic in only three countries - Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. With terrific diligence Nigeria has been Polio free for one year. Pakistan accounts for just over 90% of all Polio cases reported worldwide,” detailed the material.
Council was unanimous in its support proclaiming the requested day.
