Posted on Oct 22, 2021
Member Profile - Taylor McWhirter
The Rotary Club of Sussex and the Interact Club of SRHS met today to raise the “End Polio Now” flag. World Polio Day is celebrated each year on October 24th to raise awareness of Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio forever. 

Poliovirus is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. It can lead to muscle paralysis, disability, bone deformities and death. 
The first initiative to wipe out polio through mass vaccination of children began in 1985 with the launch of PolioPlus by Rotary International.
 
According to the World Health Organization, as long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. Failure to eradicate polio from these last remaining strongholds could result in as many as 200 000 new cases every year, within ten years, worldwide.

Many survivors of polio will develop Post-Polio Syndrome later in life. The symptoms include weakness, fatigue, muscle atrophy, breathing and swallowing problems. Up to 50 to 70 percent of polio survivors may experience the disabling effects of Post-Polio Syndrome 25 to 45 years after their initial recovery from polio.

There are approximately 125,000 Canadian polio survivors.

Only two countries still have cases of wild poliovirus, Afghanistan & Pakistan. Rotary International will not quit until we eradicate poliovirus for good.