Hi everyone ,

I hope you are all well. Two weeks of lockdown to go however some time, I feel, before we can meet in person again.

However while we worry about our third world problems remember there are still over 730 million people globally living in abject poverty and the resultant poverty related diseases that are prevalent within those communities.

Good news this week with Africa being declared Wild Polio Free.

Every Rotarian should be proud of the results of the PolioPlus program and the work that the Rotary Foundation has done and continues to do, not just for Polio but globally in the areas of health education and alleviation of poverty.

Foundation month is not until November however this Rotarian is not going to wait as I commit myself to pay my $100.00 to the foundation.

Anyone else?

See you Wednesday.

Col

AFRICAN REGION CERTIFIED

WILD POLIO-FREE

Colin received this letter from DG Alma. and asked me to share it with you..

Dear Rotarians,
It our pleasure to announce to you that the

African region has just been certified wild poliovirus-free.

read the letter at at

WILD POLIO FREE

Rotary International President Holger Knaack and Nigeria National PolioPlus Chair Dr. Tunji Funsho congratulate Rotarians on eradicating wild polio in the African Region.

Watch here.

Goodbye Polio – thanks Rotary

from Sue Cross

Many of you will have read or seen this week that Wild Polio has been eradicated from Africa, leaving only two endemic countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In 1996 Wild Polio paralysed 75000 children each year in Africa.

On August 25, 2020 after four years free of Wild Polio, the African region has been declared free of Wild Polio virus. Time for great celebrations..

What is the difference between Wild Polio and other forms of polio you may ask?

When a child is immunised with oral sabin, the weakened vaccine-virus replicates in the intestine for a limited period. During this time, the vaccine-virus is also excreted in urine. In areas of inadequate sanitation, this excreted vaccine-virus can spread in the immediate community before eventually dying out.

On rare occasions, if a population is seriously under-immunised, an excreted vaccine-virus can continue to circulate for an extended period of time. The longer it is allowed to survive, the more genetic changes it undergoes. In very rare instances, the vaccine-virus can genetically change into a form that can paralyse – this is what is known as a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus.

This form of polio is still occurring in Nigeria with last count in July 2020 being 177 cases.

The solution is to continue immunisation until both forms are eradicated.

Well over 10 million cases of polio have been averted since large-scale administration of oral sabin began 20 years ago.

Thank you so much for all of you who continue to donate to Rotary Foundation. Your money has contributed to this wonderful outcome.

You can contribute during Covid times several ways.

Directly to My Rotary if you feel comfortable in navigating this site.
Placing clearly labelled money into our Club’s General Account, letting Russell and myself know.

You can even place the smallest donation in each time as I am not asking for large amounts. Foundation appreciates every cent you can manage to donate.

Sue Cross