Fellow Rotarian Michael Drake explained the necessary and ongoing efforts, led by Rotarians, to eradicate polio.
Meeting Minutes for August 6, 2024 Marana Rotary Meeting
President Andrea called the meeting to order, and we recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
Announcements
- Gladden Farms Neighborhood 20-year anniversary celebration on Sept. 5. Christine shared important information that Gladden Farms neighborhood is celebrating its 20-year anniversary from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, in Compass Park. Part of the festivities include a food drive for Marana Food Book. Christine thought it would be a good idea to set up a booth to promote the club. The club agreed. If you are able to help table, email Andrea.
Happy bucks
- Harold – had some computer problems last week, but doing better and looks forward to meeting in person at our next hybrid meeting, August. 20.
- Christine – is meeting up with family in Mammoth Lakes to spread the ashes of her father, who passed away last November.
- Mark – visited with his best friend, who was in town to move in a daughter attending UA.
- Dan – is spending time in Pinetop and was able to visit with his 5-year-old granddaughter.
- Michael Drake (guest speaker) – happy to visit us and very glad to be here.
- Andrea – is glad that it is August and somewhat cooler weather.
- Beckie -- is busy being a grandmother.
- Bob -- is enjoying watching the skill of workers who are removing big trees from his property.
- Don -- is enjoying watching with Olympics.
- Kathy -- saw Randy and Deb last week and "they're doing great."
- Peter -- spent time in England after his mom passed away and was able to see his brother and family.
Guest speaker talks about Rotary's fight to eradicate polio
Michael Drake, charter member of Tucson Sunset club, co-charter member of Tucson Verde, and past district governor from 2011-12, is our district chair for Polio Plus. He shared the history of Rotary's campaign to end polio.
Polio is transmitted through contaminated food and water. It mostly infects children, but President Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted it at age 39. FDR created the National Foundation for Infant Paralysis which eventually became the March of Dimes, which raised money to fight polio.
Jonas Salk developed the injectable vaccine in 1954, and Albert Sabin, in 1961, developed the oral vaccine (live virus).
In 1979, Rotary joined the cause against the spread of polio, and in 1988, we partnered with Unicef, the CDC, and the World Health Organization through a coordinated effort called Polio Plus. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation joined as well and provides a 2:1 match for the Polio Plus efforts.
The combined efforts have been a success. In 1988, there were 360,000 of paralytic cases across 125 countries. Polio was eradicated from the Americas in 1994, and from Europe in 2002. Today, in 2024, the number of cases is less than 20.
- 2023 -- 12 total
- 2024 -- 18 total, with 6 reported in Pakistan and 9 in Afghanistan.
However, we are not done yet. Unhealthy and unsanitary conditions like those in war-torn Gaza create the perfect environment for polio to re-emerge. Other challenges include rumors of the vaccine's side effects, assassinations of health workers, and unstable political climates, which can lead to outbreaks.
Michael noted that the consequences of giving up the fight to eradicate the virus would be:
- 200,000 polio cases every year within next 10 years
- $14B in lost investment
- $40B in economic / human loss
Rotary Foundation's aggressive funding goals include asking each District to give 20% of its District Designated Funds to Polio Plus and for individual clubs to commit $1500/year. Last year, Marana Rotary donated $1100 to Polio Plus.
October 24 is World Polio Day, and the Polio Plus Society of District 5500, which was started in 2020, now has 150 members. Our district Polio Plus Society is asking us to make the commitment as well. Whatever you donate to Polio Plus counts toward becoming a Paul Harris Fellow, which is awarded when you donate $1,000 over time to Rotary's Annual Fund and Polio Plus.
After Michael's informative presentation, we ended the meeting with the "Four-Way Test".