Interact Club paints pinkies purple to support polio eradication

Pictured: Many of the Meadow Brook students who donated to the Purple Pinkie “End Polio Now “fundraiser.

Readings for next meeting: April Rotarian, "President's Message," p. 1, and "
World Roundup," p. 14.

The Meadow Brook Interact club raised $200 to support worldwide polio eradication. Club members encouraged students and staff to donate a dollar. Each person donating had his or her pinkie finger painted purple to indicate their support of this effort. Every $60 raised by Interact guarantees that 100 children can be vaccinated. 

Through this fundraiser, the Meadow Brook students joined hundreds of people worldwide who are working to eradicate polio. Their partners include the World Health Assembly, who launched the polio eradication effort in 1988, Rotary International, US Centers for Disease Control, UNICIF, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Polio can be prevented by vaccination, but it cannot be cured once a person is infected. Even though no polio cases have originated in the United States in over 30 years, it is important to eradicate the disease because it would only take one traveler with polio from another country to bring polio back to the United States. 
 
According to the Centers for Disease Control, poliovirus is very contagious. The virus lives in an infected person’s throat and intestines. It spreads through contact with the feces (stool) of an infected person and through droplets from a sneeze or cough. Once infected, most people do not have any symptoms and are unaware they are unintentionally spreading the virus. An infected person may spread the virus to others immediately before and usually 1 to 2 weeks after developing symptoms. 

The “End Polio Now” effort that the Interact Club members are supporting has been very successful. This year, the World Health Organization reported that polio cases have decreased by 99% since the polio eradication campaign began in 1988. In 2011, four countries reported cases of polio. This year, only 3 countries continue to report polio cases. 

 

Byesville Rotary meets every Tuesday, 7:30 am, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary is welcome to attend a meeting or call 740-685-3828, or 740-685-8294.