Barrow Town Hall turns purple to highlight World Polio Day
The Town Hall at Barrow was recently bathed in purple light to highlight world polio day.
Why purple?
When a child receives their life-saving polio drops on mass polio immunisation days, their little finger is painted with a purple dye so it is clear they have received their polio vaccine.Rotary members have contributed more than $2.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.
Volunteers from local Rotary clubs have visited countries where polio is still endemic, mainly Pakistan and Afghanistan, to help with the vaccination programme by administering the injections.
There is no cure for polio but the vaccine protects children for life.
Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a paralyzing and potentially fatal disease that still threatens children in some parts of the world. Poliovirus invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in hours. It can strike people of any age but mainly affects children under five. Polio can be prevented by vaccines, but it is not curable. Unlike most diseases, polio can be eradicated.
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