Kirkcudbright Rotary Club members teach youngsters about fight against polio
dailyrecord.co.ukKirkcudbright Rotary were invited to tell the pupils of Auchencairn Primary about how the organisation is fighting poliomyelitis globally.This was done in story telling style by Rotarians, which provided fun and laughter as well as education.Rotary has been working to eradicate polio globally for more than 40 years.
Their goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.As a founding partner of the Global Eradication, it has reduced polio cases by 99.9 per cent since the first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.Kirkcudbright Rotary has been involved donating vaccine and providing “man hours” overseas since the start of the project.Rotary members worldwide have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly three billion children in 122 countries from this paralysing disease.Its advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyse as many as 200,000 children a year.
The pupils at Auchencairn Primary now have a symbolic purple crocus to remind them of purple pinkie. Vaccinated children have their pinkie painted purple, like a badge of honour.
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