Mysuru: The members of Rotary Mysore observed World Polio Day by administering polio vaccines to children at a slum area in city recently. The parents of the children were given a pep talk about Polio and how to maintain hygiene.

They displayed placards and banners with the message ‘End Polio’ at the slum.

Among them was a survivor of polio along with her family member. The Inner Wheel members of Rotary Mysore also joined the team at the slum.

World Polio Day is celebrated every year in honour of Jonas Salk who led the first team to develop a vaccine for Polio.

Rotary Mysore in its Platinum Jubilee year marked the historic progress toward a polio-free world, while urging community support to end the infectious disease. However, sadly, the disease still threatens children in parts of the world.

Rotary’s contribution

Since Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative 30 years ago, the incidence of Polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 3,50,000 cases a year to just 22 cases in 2017.

To sustain this progress, and protect all children from polio, Rotary has committed to raise  50 million dollars per year in support of global polio eradication efforts.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match Rotary’s commitment 2:1. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralysing disease could return to previously polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk. Rotary has contributed more than 1.8 billion dollars to ending polio since 1985.