General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International John Hewko met with
Bill Gates, cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 7
September in Seattle, Washington, USA, to discuss moving forward
together to eradicate polio and continuing to energize Rotarians to see
the eradication effort through to the finish. (click below to read more)
"The meetings at the Gates Foundation were very productive," Hewko
says. "Bill Gates recognized the enormous contribution of Rotary to the
cause of polio eradication and the tremendous capacity of Rotarians to
continue the fight. We identified several concrete opportunities to work
even more closely together to achieve our mutual goal of a polio-free
world."
Polio eradication is within reach. The Global Polio Eradication
Initiative (GPEI) has made significant steps forward since the launch
last year of its new strategic plan and the bivalent oral polio vaccine.
Among the four polio-endemic countries, India has reported only one
case of the disease so far this year. A recent report by the GPEI
Independent Monitoring Board, while noting some concerns in meeting GPEI
goals, nevertheless stated that India is "on track to interrupt
transmission this year."
Polio cases worldwide decreased almost 50 percent during the first six months of 2011, compared with the same period in 2010.
Rotarians are raising funds for polio eradication as part of
Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge to match $355 million in grants from
the Gates Foundation. The resulting $555 million will support
immunization campaigns in developing countries where polio continues to
infect and paralyze children, robbing them of their futures and
compounding the hardships faced by their families.
As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk.
Rotarians can help end the disease by providing funding and
reminding their communities and government leaders that polio still
exists and causes tremendous suffering.
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