End Polio Now ~ October 24 is World Polio Day.

Polio is a disease caused by the poliovirus and is easily spread from person to person, making it one of the most widespread viruses worldwide until 2014. The polio vaccine is an excellent example of how a focused objective can have a worldwide impact and change the lives of millions of people.

We often forget the United States was affected by polio, but it is recent enough in our history for someone in your family to have suffered from or know someone who suffered from the virus. The first large outbreak occurred in Vermont in 1894 and resulted in 18 deaths and 132 cases of paralysis. At this time there was no knowledge of how the disease spread.

Not until 1905 was polio recognized as a disease that spread from person to person with not all infected individuals showing symptoms. Fourteen years after the Vermont outbreak polio was recognized and classified as a virus. Another major outbreak in the United States occurred in 1916 killing more than 2,000 people in New York City and approximately 6,000 people were killed or paralyzed by the virus nationwide.

Polio created a health situation necessitating invention. The timeline for understanding how the disease spread and that it was a virus treatable through a vaccine took about 60 years. Prior to a vaccine for the disease being developed in 1955, the iron lung was invented in 1929 to assist people suffering from paralytic polio.

In 1979 Rotary International joined the fight against polio and has been relentless in continuing the fight against this virus that kills, deforms, and cripples many of those that become infected. The PolioPlus program was established by Rotary International in 1985 as the first private-sector endeavor to help fight a worldwide public health initiative, and by 1988 Rotary International and the World Health Organization were working together to eradicate polio in 125 countries.

By 1994, polio was eliminated from the Americas. The Americas being polio-free took 100 years from the time of the first outbreak in the United States. Only four countries remained polio-endemic in 2006. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries still suffering from endemic poliovirus in 2024. Worldwide children are still vaccinated with help from PolioPlus. Children and adults who suffer paralysis or ongoing effects from polio are also supported by the program.

Fighting polio remains a prime objective for local Rotary clubs, such as the Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe, and up through Rotary International and Rotary Foundation. It is easy for us to forget what a powerful change the polio vaccine has made in the world, offering people across the globe better opportunities to lead their lives free from disease. Despite significant gains in vaccinating to eradicate polio over the past four decades, it is important to continue the fight.

Please donate to end polio on World Polio Day to help end this terrible disease! https://www.endpolio.org/world-polio-day .
Your donation will be tripled with a 2:1 match from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe serves South Lake Tahoe. If you are interested in knowing what Rotary is about or joining our club please join us every first and third Wednesday at 12:00pm at the Lisa Maloff University Center at Lake Tahoe Community College. Please check our webpage for up-to-date information about the club: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/8467/sitepage/about-our-club-rotary