Members and partners of our club were part of a joint Rotary meeting last Tuesday evening to celebrate World Polio Day.
The guest speaker was Dr Bruce Anderson, a member of the Rotary Club of Strathmore and an expert on the polio virus. He commenced his presentation by explaining the genesis of Polio Plus. In 1979, the first polio grant was approved to address the serious issues in the Philippines. Following this successful campaign, the Polio Plus program was officially established in 1985. RI had an initial goal to raise $120 million in 3 years. They raised $247 million. The original partners included UNICEF and the World Health Organisation in addition to Rotary. Over the past 30 years, Rotary Foundation has donated $1.5 billion to the cause.
Dr Anderson explained that there are 3 types of polio virus - 1, 2 and 3. Type 3 is the most virulent and is still in existence but only in a few countries. It spreads mainly from faeces to mouth or from droplets from a sneeze. Symptoms usually develop between 3 and 21 days after contact. The virus enters through the mouth, multiplies in the throat and intestinal tract which is then carried into the central nervous system leading to paralysis or death. It's interesting to note that the majority of people who have the virus don't become sick and are never aware that they are infected.
As a result of the concentrated efforts and funding from Rotary and others, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the virus has nearly been eradicated. Only 12 cases of polio were detected in Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2017. There were 26 cases in 2016. Dr Anderson said that it is not a case of IF the disease can be eradicated, it's a matter of WHEN.
The most effective protection is an oral vaccine. Whenever a child is vaccinated, one of their finger nails is painted purple to denote that they have been protected. As a way of support, attendees at the meeting made a small donation to have their fingernail painted purple by students from Baden Powell College.
Click here to see some photos of the evening.
