Polio fighting walk Oct. 25
By From staff reports
Published in News on October 14, 2014 1:46 PM
Polio has been eliminated in the United States for 35 years but there are still three countries in the world where it is a problem. Rotary International, along with other organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, is determined to eradicate it completely.
A 5-kilometer walk is being sponsored on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Wayne Community College by Wayne County's Rotary clubs to help raise money and awareness of the fight against polio. Oct. 24 is World Polio Day.
Dr. Ross Wilson is a local Rotarian and passionate about the battle against polio. Great strides have been made since Rotary decided in 1985 to get serious about battling the disease, he said. At the time, there were 125 countries in which is was endemic. Presently, there are just three: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
In that time, Rotary raised over $1 billion. To be able to raise that much money and defeat the disease in so many countries has been a remarkable feat, Wilson said, but finally rubbing it completely out will take a final concerted effort. Vaccines have to reach remote villages in all three countries and many of the inhabitants are migratory, he pointed out.
Still, Rotary International is determined to do what it can to help finally rub out the crippling disease, which normally strikes children. And the campaign has been bolstered by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has already donated $500 million to the cause and has promised to double every dollar Rotary raises.
That is why the Oct. 25 walk is important, Wilson said. A successful fundraiser will go a long way toward advancing the goal.
People who are interested in being part of the walk are urged to contact a member of the Goldsboro Rotary Club or the Three Eagles Rotary Club for information on how to participate. Or they can call Wilson at 919-922-5816.