World Polio Day

Talk Report

Rotarian John Campbell spoke to us passionately at our meeting this week about Polio and the part Rotary has played in its eradication.  It’s nearly there but not quite - see below.  

Thank you to everyone who has already donated this week, and it would be great if you can help John and our Club meet the 40 challenge.  

Thank you for your support 

President Carla 

Facts from John

Its World Polio Day 24th October 2025

The largest Public Health Project in the world is 40 this year!

The programme vaccinates 400 million children each year and has reduced the incidence of polio by 99.9%

There were around 500 cases in 2023 so the job is not done yet – polio is waiting to make a come-back.

I don’t want to describe the horrible ways that polio deforms and paralyses young children but I would like to ask your help to make a difference.

If all Club members could donate £40, this will be tripled to £120 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and might allow the Rotary Club of Guernsey to contribute approaching £10,000 to the End Polio Now programme.

Once in 40 years…

A short history:

• 1956 Polio vaccine was introduced into the UK. 
• 1984 The last Polio case in the UK.
• 1985 Rotary International launched a mass immunisation programme to tackle the 350,000 cases per year.
• 1988 The World Health Organization joined the programme.
• 2007 The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation came on board.
• 2023 There were just 536 cases.
• Over 400 million children are vaccinated each year
• 20million people have been spared from paralysis since the launch of the global immunisation programme.

If you would like to support the fight against polio please click HERE.

N.B. All donations are tripled by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Donations update!

Our Treasurer tells me this morning that our Clubs donations have reached £1050.

That means that with the Gates triple effect, our Club will have contributed a fantastic £3150 this year to the End Polio appeal on its 40th Anniversary.

A  big thank you to everyone who has contributed and a very big thank you to Rotarian John Campbell for stirring us all into action for such a worthy cause.

President Carla

Friday 31 October 2025