Tuesday, October 24th - the Wellington Monument will be iluminated for World Polio Day

Wellington Monument Illuminated for World Polio Day.

On the night of Tuesday 24 October the Wellington Monument will be illuminated to commemorate World Polio Day, when Rotary members and supporters around the world mark the progress made to eradicate polio and renew our global commitment to eradicate this terrible disease. 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% and wild polio is only endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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 10 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. Fortunately, in the UK the polio vaccine is part of the NHS routine childhood vaccination schedule.

To sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine, 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. 

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.

Ken Atherton

Press Officer

The Rotary Club of Wellington