The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Sunrise will mark historic progress toward a polio-free world while urging the community to help end the disease.  The group is hosting an event, which is among thousands to be held by Rotary clubs around the world on World Polio Day, October 24.   Rotary Sunrise members in Grand Cayman are taking action on World Polio Day to raise awareness and support to end polio, a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today in in collaboration with the Health Services Authority’s Public Health Department.

Along with an information booth in the Cayman Islands Hospital atrium at 3pm, a special presentation will be held at 6:15 pm.  The event will feature a video of updating efforts to eradicate the disease.   President Pat Steward of Rotary Sunrise will fip a switch that will illuminate the hospital façade with the End Polio Now logo. 

When Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative more than three decades ago, polio paralyzed 1,000 children every day. Polio cases have dropped by 99.9 percent, from 350,000 cases in 1988 in 125 countries to 33 cases of wild poliovirus in 2018 in just two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

With polio nearly eradicated, Rotary and its partners say its critical to sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk. Rotary has committed to raising US$50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match that 2-to-1, for a total yearly contribution of $150 million.  

Rotary Sunrise Club President Pat Steward commented “Polio is probably a disease not well known to us in the Cayman Islands but without its eradication globally, we risk having our children exposed to this life-threatening disease. Our club is committed to doing its part and raises awareness and funds annually to help Rotary in its polio eradication efforts. We are deeply grateful for the support we have received from the HSA’s Public Health Department”.

Rotary has contributed more than $1.9 billion to ending polio since 1985, including funds donated by the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Sunrise. 

www.endpolio.org/worldpolioday 
www.rotarysunrise.ky