Putnam County Rotary to participate in World Polio Day to raise awareness

Imagine a virus so deadly and so contagious that within only a few hours it could kill or cripple a child.

For many, polio has been a harsh reality, once claiming as many as 1,000 victims a day – mostly children younger than 5.

Rotary International launched an immunization campaign in 1985, partnering with other organizations sharing the mission to end polio forever. Since then, the incidence of polio has been reduced by 99.9%, with 42 cases reported so far this year.

The Putnam County Rotary is among many local Rotary clubs taking action in recognition of World Polio Day on Oct. 24 to raise awareness, funds and community support to prevent a resurgence of the vaccine-preventable disease.

Look for the canisters throughout Putnam County collecting donations to help in this international cause. Rotary donations will be matched 2-to-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, increasing the impact of every donor.

In conjunction, the Putnam County Library will display books and information on the subject at its headquarters in Hennepin. Stop in during the week of Oct. 21 to 25 to see the display and receive a free Rotary wrist bracelet sharing the goal of ending polio now and forever.

PC Rotarian Adriane Shore, who chairs the club’s End Polio Committee, said she has a personal reason to be proud of the Rotary’s continuing efforts. Her mother contracted polio at age 3, and although she was fortunate to have survived and lived a productive life, she lived with the disease’s disabling effects. Together, she said, children can be saved everywhere.

The Rotary brings together a global network of community leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. The organization connects 1.4 million members from more than 46,000 Rotary clubs across the world. Their service improves lives both locally and internationally, from helping those in need in their own communities to tackling world peace, disaster relief and disease prevention. Visit Rotary.org and endpolio.org for more about the Rotary and its efforts to eradicate polio. To help in the local effort, email PutnamCountyRotary@gmail.com.