Rotary Rotary Responds to Polio Outbreak in Tajiki
Posted by Susan Freiberg
This story is from Happynews.com
In response to a recent outbreak of wild
polio virus in Tajikistan, Rotary is providing a total of US$500,000 in
emergency grants to UNICEF and WHO for immediate polio immunization
efforts throughout the country. The outbreak requires urgent action by
governments and partner agencies to again make the country polio-free.
This emergency response is intended to reduce
the threat of the virus spreading to other polio-free countries, a
process called importation. The emergency grant will support
immunization activities scheduled to take place in Tajikistan and
neighboring Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The Tajikistan cases are the
first reported in the WHO European Region since it was certified
polio-free in 2002.
"Polio importations such as the Tajikistan
cases, highlight our global vulnerability to infectious disease," said
Carol Pandak, manager of Rotary International's PolioPlus Program. "It
highlights the fact that polio 'control' is not an option, and only
successful eradication will stop polio in resource-poor countries."
Outbreaks of imported cases are not
uncommon during eradication efforts, underscoring the critical need to
stop polio transmission in the remaining polio-endemic countries:
Afghanistan -- which borders Tajikistan -- Pakistan, Nigeria and India.
"Our experience shows that where polio
transmission has been stopped before, it can be stopped again," said
Pandak. "A fast, large-scale, high-quality immunization response and
strong surveillance are absolutely critical."
A highly infectious disease that most
commonly affects children, polio can cause paralysis and sometimes
death. As there is no cure, the best protection is prevention. For as
little as 60 cents US worth of vaccine, a child can be protected against
this crippling disease for life.
With its spearheading partners in the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative—the World Health Organization, the
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF—Rotary's
commitment to end polio represents the largest private-sector support of
a global health initiative ever. Since 1985, Rotary has contributed
more than $900 million to polio eradication.
Rotary is currently working to raise an
additional $200 million in response to a $355 challenge grant from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The resulting $555 million will
fund polio eradication activities in the remaining endemic and high-risk
countries.
Besides raising and contributing funds,
over one million men and women of Rotary have volunteered their time and
personal resources to help immunize more than 2 billion children in 122
countries.
Rotary International is one of the world's
largest non-profit humanitarian service organizations. It is comprised
of 1.2 million business and professional leaders in more than 200
countries and geographical areas. Rotary members initiate community
projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as
clean water, health, hunger and the environment.
For further information, visit www.rotary.org/endpolio
or www.polioeradication.org.