Polio Eradication - Are you a 12 Percenter?
By John Pennypacker
Chair, Rotary Club of Mesa West Foundation
Past District Governor (2014-15)
1894 The first major documented polio outbreak in the United States occurs in Vermont; 18 deaths and 132 cases of permanent paralysis are reported.
1916 A major polio outbreak in New York City kills more than 2,000 people. Across the United States, polio takes the lives of about 6,000 people, and paralyzes thousands more.
1955 A vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk is declared “safe and effective.”
1960 The U.S. government licenses the oral polio vaccine developed by Dr. Albert Sabin.
1979 Rotary International begins its fight against polio with a multi-year project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines.
1985 Rotary International launches PolioPlus, the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector support of a public health initiative, with an initial fundraising target of US$120 million.
1988 Rotary International and the World Health Organization launch the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. There are an estimated 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries. Approximately 1000 cases each day of someone contracting Polio!
1994 The International Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication announces that polio has been eliminated from the Americas.
1995 Health workers and volunteers immunize 165 million children in China and India in 1 week. Rotary launches the PolioPlus Partners program, enabling Rotary members in polio-free countries to provide support to fellow members in polio-affected countries for polio eradication activities.
2000 A record 550 million children – almost 10% of the world's population – receive the oral polio vaccine. The Western Pacific region, spanning from Australia to China, is declared polio-free.
2003 The Rotary Foundation raises $119 million in a 12-month campaign. Rotary's total contribution to polio eradication exceeds $500 million. Six countries remain polio-endemic – Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan.
2006 The number of polio-endemic countries drops to 4 - Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Pakistan.
2009 Rotary's overall contribution to the eradication effort nears $800 million. In January, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledges $355 million and issues Rotary a challenge grant of $200 million. This announcement will result in a combined $555 million in support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
2012 India surpasses 1 year without a recorded case of polio and is removed from the list of countries where polio is endemic.
2014 India goes 3 full years without a new case caused by the wild poliovirus, and the World Health Organization certifies the South-East Asia region polio-free. Polio cases are down over 99% since 1988.
2020 The World Health Organization certifies the African region wild polio-free.
2023 Only Afghanistan and Pakistan remain endemic.
2024 So why all the history to answer the 12% question in the title?
During a recent study at Rotary International it was determined that only 44% of Rotary clubs were contributing to PolioPlus and only 12% of Rotarians were contributing!
Are you a 12 Percenter?
