THE Wellington Monument is set to be illuminated to commemorate World Polio Day next week.
With the support of The Rotary Club of Wellington, the monument will be illuminated on the night of Tuesday, October 24, to mark the progress made to eradicate polio and renew the global commitment to eradicate the disease.
A representative from the Rotary Club of Wellington said: “World Polio Day is an opportunity for Rotary members to remind their communities about the importance of vaccination and to end polio forever.
“However, we must have zero cases of polio before the world can finally be certified polio free. It is crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio free.
“If all eradication efforts stopped today, within ten years polio could paralyse as many as 200,000 children each year. The best way to prevent polio is to make sure all adults and children are up to date with their vaccinations. No child anywhere is safe until every child has been fully vaccinated.
“The Rotary Club of Wellington has, and always will, play its part in the ‘End Polio Now’ campaign, donating annually to the cause from its charity account.
“Polio anywhere is a threat to children everywhere.”
Rotary’s PolioPlus pledge for a polio free world was made in 1985 when there were 125 polio endemic countries and 350,000 cases of polio every year. Since then, Rotary has contributed more than US$2.7 billion to fight polio and given countless volunteer hours.
In 1988, Rotary joined in partnership with the World Health Organization and UNICEF to form the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Thanks to Rotary, and the support of our partners, cases of polio have been reduced by more than 99.9 per cent and wild polio is only endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Rotary world-wide has committed to raising US$50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts. The Gates Foundation has pledged to match that 2-to-1 for a total yearly contribution of US$150 million.
To find out more visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polio/