Rotary celebrates the end of polio in Africa

Marlborough & District Rotary, together with Rotary clubs around the world, has been working since 1985 to eliminate polio from the world. Yesterday, Tuesday August 25, it was announced by the World Health Organisation that Africa has been certified polio-free

The Rotary ‘End Polio Now’ challenge has also been supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the States.  Bill Gates is himself a Rotarian. For every £1 that Rotary collected for ‘End Polio Now’, the Foundation gave £2, and this enabled nine children to be inoculated.

Gerry Hooper, from Marlborough & District Rotary, told Marlborough.news, “Today 25th August 2020 is a momentous day. Africa has been certified polio-free by the World Health Organisation.  There are just two countries left – Afghanistan and Pakistan, before we will have achieved the final result: the complete elimination of polio, this terrible paralysing virus, from the world.

Every Rotary Club has been contributing to this global effort, and Marlborough & District Rotary would like to thank all those people who gave those £1 coins in our collections over the years. Volunteering time with Rotary to meet this challenge, as well as all the local help we can give to those in need, brings satisfaction of course.  And to succeed in beating polio in the continent of Africa is exceptional.”