Rotary takes up $100 million polio challenge by Gates Foundation

The Melina & Bill Gates Foundation pledged USD 100 million as a grant to be utilized towards Rotary’s most ambitious project so far, the polio eradication programme – PolioPLus. Pledged as a matching grant, the Gates Foundation offer will be available to the Rotary Foundation who have already embarked on their own goal to collect US$ 100 million towards this programme.

A three-year fundraising commitment is the Rotary Foundation’s response to the $100 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help fight polio eradication. Every dollar given to PolioPlus during the next three years is counted toward the $100 million match.

PolioPlus Partners, launched by Rotary International, allows individuals, Rotary clubs, and districts to support urgent social mobilization and surveillance projects submitted by Rotarians in polio-endemic, importation, and high-risk countries. In 2006-07, the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation allocated US$1 million to match, on a first-come, first-served basis, cash contributions to PolioPlus Partners at a level of US$0.50 for each $1 contributed. Cash and DDF donations to PolioPlus Partners, effective 1 December 2007 through 30 June 2008, will be counted toward matching the Gates Foundation Challenge Grant. The PolioPlus Fund provides global-level funds through Trustee-reviewed grants to the initiative based on strategic priorities.

Rotary Clubs the world over unified to combat the polio menacde, all but eradicating the dreaded disease in most countries. The programme, which has been identified as the major reason for the decline in polio cases reported worldwide, counts the following as its major successes.

Decades ago, polio outbreaks were a constant threat around the world. After the introduction of polio vaccines by Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin and a steadfast immunization effort, these outbreaks became part of history in most of the world. In the 1980s, an estimated 1,000 children were infected by the disease every day in 125 countries (that’s 45,000,000 per year). Today, polio cases have declined by 99 percent, with fewer than two thousand cases reported in 2006. Two billion children have been immunized, five million have been spared disability, and over 250,000 deaths from polio have been prevented. The polio plus programme launched by Rotary can take credit for most of these gains.

Yet many still live under the threat of polio,with, alarmingly, our neighbours, India and Pakistan among them. Due to this reason Rotary and its global partners continue to commit themselves to reaching every child with the vaccine and ending this disease worldwide. The Rotary has identified four strategies for stopping poliovirus transmission

Routine immunization
High infant-immunization coverage with four doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV) in the first year of life is critical. Routine immunization is essential because it’s the primary way that polio-free countries protect their children from the threat of imported polio.

National Immunization Days For decades, Rotary’s PolioPlus program has been one of the driving forces during National Immunization Days, or NIDs. Rotarians are involved in myriad ways before, during, and after an NID, by providing funds for millions of drops of vaccine, promoting upcoming campaigns in the community, distributing vaccine to local health centers, serving as monitors, working with local officials to reach every child, and participating in surveillance efforts.

Surveillance
Rotarians play an important role in working with health workers, pediatricians, and others to find, report, and investigate cases of acute flaccid paralysis in timely manner (ideally within 48 hours of onset). PolioPlus Partners sometimes helps fund containers that preserve the integrity of stool samples during transport to laboratories. The program has also played a leading role in providing equipment for the global poliovirus laboratory.

Targeted mop-up campaigns
Rotary’s support of mop-up campaigns is similar to NID volunteering, but on a smaller, often “house-to-house,” scale.

Rotary International identifies under funding of the global initiative and insufficient political commitment from the remaining polio-affected countries as the biggest obstacles to eradicating polio. While it believes that the primary source for additional funds can and should be governments of polio-free industrialized countries. Your contribution through Rotary will help ensure that theprogramme will keep doing its part to get the job done.

Contribute to PolioPlus Partners
PolioPlus Partners allows individuals, Rotary clubs, and districts to support urgent social mobilization and surveillance projects submitted by Rotarians in polio-endemic, importation, and high-risk countries.

What your gift can do
A contribution of US$135 will buy a bicycle to distribute vaccine to villages

A contribution of $250 will buy T-shirts to make health workers highly visible during a National Immunization Day

A contribution of $200 will buy 10,000 pamphlets to inform the public about an upcoming immunization campaign

A contribution of $1,000 will buy 700 vaccine carriers to ensure the oral polio vaccine is maintained at the correct temperature

All contributions received from Rotarians to PolioPlus and PolioPlus Partners are eligible for Paul Harris Fellow Recognition. (Paul Harris is the founder of Rotary International)

Published by the Rotary Club of Colombo Fort
To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Polio Initiative.