Coffee Morning for World Polio Day

Prior to 1960 Polio was endemic throughout the world causing paralysis and sometimes death. Polio can strike at any age but mainly affects children under five. Each year polio paralysed 350k children annually.

In 1985 Rotary International launched PolioPlus working with international partners, the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector support of a public health initiative, with an initial fundraising target of US$120 million which was soon achieved and surpassed.

By the late 1970’s Polio was eradicated from the UK and Europe and from the Americas by the 1990’s. In 2000 a record 550 million children received the vaccine and the western pacific region from Australia to China was declared polio-free.

Today after 35 years Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have reduced polio cases by 99.9%. Today there are only two countries in the world where wild polio is endemic, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

All funds raised by the Rotary Stop Polio Now campaign are trebled by the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation

To celebrate World Polio Day we have lit Bolton Castle in Wensleydale in purple. This reflects the colour that children receiving the vaccine had their finger dyed to indicate who had received the vacination.