1. KEY MESSAGES
· As the organization that first envisioned a polio-free world, Rotary has been at the center of the fight to eradicate polio for more than three decades.
· Rotarians everywhere should be proud of the work we’ve accomplished and Rotary remains fully committed to the pursuit of a polio-free world.
· Rotarians have contributed more than $2.1 billion dollars and countless volunteer hours to the fight to end polio. Together with our partners we immunize over 400 million children every year.
· When Rotary formed its PolioPlus program in 1985, a thousand children were being paralyzed by polio every single day in 125 polio-endemic countries. Today, just two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
· Because of the efforts of Rotary and our partners, nearly 19 million people who would otherwise have been paralyzed are walking, and more than 1.5 million people are alive who would otherwise have died.
· We’ve made incredible progress and we’re optimistic that we will succeed in this effort, but eradicating a disease is hard work, and getting to zero cases requires sufficient funding, innovative strategies, perseverance and the commitment of every single Rotary member.
· We have an opportunity to make history by ending polio, which will be only the second human disease to ever be eradicated. But the window of opportunity to achieve a polio-free world will not remain open forever. The time for urgent action is now.
· Through the extension of our funding partnership, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match 2-to-1 every dollar that Rotary commits to polio eradication, up to $50 million per year. This will amount to $450 million for polio eradication efforts over a three-year period.
· It is vital that we continue raising $50 million a year for polio and continue to raise awareness by keeping polio eradication in the spotlight with our clubs, in our communities, and with our government officials.
· Like any big initiative, we know the final phase of polio eradication will be the most difficult, but we also know that eradication is achievable and we have the collective strength to finish the job.
· During this challenging final phase of polio eradication, we are calling on our 1.2 million members to redouble their commitment and continue to persevere until the day that we fulfill our promise of a polio-free world.
Call to Action/How to Get Involved
· We are calling on every single Rotarian to take action and be a part of the fight to end polio, and take that fight to your clubs and your communities all over the world.
· Continue to raise awareness of the importance of polio eradication, and Rotary’s critical role in that effort by holding events and fundraisers on World Polio Day and year-round.
· Continue raising $50 million per year for polio eradication, to be matched 2:1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
· Through 30 June, DDF contributions will be matched 1:1 by the World Fund. With the 2:1 Gates Foundation match, contributions to DDF will yield a 6:1 match.
· Continue advocating to world governments about the importance of supporting polio eradication.
Progress in the fight to end polio
· In 2019 the World Health Organization announced the eradication of wild poliovirus type 3. Type 2 was eradicated in 2015, which means that there is just one type of wild poliovirus (type 1) left to be eradicated.
· In August 2019, Nigeria reached three years without a case of wild polio. As the last country in Africa to report wild poliovirus, Nigeria’s milestone means that the entire African region is poised to be certified wild polio-free in mid-2020.
· In Amman, Jordan, a new “hub” of eradication experts was established to improve cross-border coordination in Pakistan and Afghanistan, enabling more rapid deployment of support and technical expertise to address polio outbreaks.
· The GPEI is also working to accelerate the development of a new vaccine – novel OPV2 (nOPV2) which protects children against polio while being more genetically stable and less likely to regain strength and cause paralysis. The new vaccine could be deployed in mid-2020.
· Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance joined the GPEI as a sixth partner, and will be working to strengthen routine immunization, a vital component of polio eradication.