The Fayette Rotary Club will join Rotary clubs around the world from April 24 to 30 to observe World Immunization Week. 

Club members will have the opportunity to donate money to Polio-Plus, Rotary International’s program to eradicate polio worldwide, at the club’s meeting on April 27. Proceeds in excess of $600 generated from the club’s Cornhole Tournament last October have already been contributed to the cause.

Rotary International (RI) has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. The organization’s goal of ridding the world of this disease is getting closer. 

Polio cases have been reduced by 99.9% world-wide since Rotary’s first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Currently, polio is only endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it is important to continue to vaccinate children or the disease could return.

According to the RI website, “Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.”

RI believes that “Vaccines are one of the greatest advances of modern medicine. They’re safe, effective, and save millions of lives each year. [Rotary’s] progress in the fight to end polio is proof that vaccines work.”  

Anyone who wants more information about the Polio-Plus campaign should visit the Rotary International website, www.rotary.org.