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Press Centre
Press Release
Global Polio Eradication Partners applaud Rotary’s
new US $88,557,000 pledge to world’s largest public health initiative
Partners urge international community to match Rotary’s commitment
to polio eradication
BRISBANE, 3 June 2003 - The Global Polio Eradication Partners applauded
Rotary International for its US $88,557,000 pledge to polio eradication.
Rotary International today announced the results of its year long campaign
to raise funds for a polio-free world at its international convention
in Brisbane, Australia. The news comes 30 days after the announcement
that a critical funding gap threatens the global polio eradication initiative.
Recognizing that insufficient funding is now the single biggest threat
to polio eradication, Rotararians everywhere have held fundraising events
or personally donated to the cause. In Tacoma Narrows, Washington, USA,
264 drummers converged to “Beat the Drums to Beat Polio”
raising more than US$22,000. Throughout the world, 1.2 million members
of Rotary have held auctions and charity raffles, cycled thousands of
kilometres and organized many other activities to raise funds for eradicating
polio. Rotary’s latest fundraising drive is in addition to over
US$500 million already contributed to the cause.
On behalf of the Global Polio Eradication partnership of WHO, UNICEF
and CDC, Dr Shigeru Omi, WHO’s Regional Director for the Western
Pacific Region, today paid special tribute to Rotary International.
Dr Omi, who led the polio eradication drive in the Western Pacific region
praised Rotary and its 1.2 million members world-wide for their latest
and much needed drive to immunize every child against polio. Rotary’s
partners warned that the funding gap continues to stand in the way of
a polio-free world, and urged the global community to follow Rotary’s
lead and commit the necessary resources to getting the job done.
”Reaching every last child, in every corner of the world takes
dollars, commitment and volunteers, “ Dr Omi told an enthusiastic
crowd of 16,000 Rotary members in Brisbane. ”Rotary members have
been on the front lines in their communities, creatively raising money,
raising awareness of polio eradication, and reminding the world what
Rotary is about - ‘service above self’.”
From UNICEF’s headquarters in New York, Carol Bellamy, Executive
Director of UNICEF, added her congratulations: ”Rotarians really
are the heart and soul of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative,”
she said. ”Eighteen years ago they took their vision of a polio-free
world for children to the international community. Since then they have
contributed not just money, but passion, creativity and genuine hard
work on the ground.”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also applauded Rotary’s
ceaseless dedication to the eradication effort. “We are closing
in on global polio eradication. We thank Rotary for its vision in creating
the PolioPlus program in 1985 to vaccinate all the world’s children
against polio by 2005,” said Dr Stephen Cochi , Director, Global
Immunization Division, CDC. ”Thanks to contributions from Rotary
as well as others, the opportunity to wipe out polio is within reach.”
The Polio Eradication Initiative, spearheaded by Rotary and its international
partners, has slashed the incidence of polio by more than 99 per cent.
In 1988, more than 350 000 children across the globe were suffering
from polio. In 2002, the world had only 1919 reported cases in seven
countries.
The Chairman of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, Mr Glenn
Kinross,
said: “The progress and commitment to date reaffirms the dedication
of ordinary citizens throughout the world to this important cause. Rotary
International and its members across the world have given so much to
this initiative,” he said. “It is critical that the international
community works towards protecting our collective investment in fighting
this disease.”
Further information about the Global Polio Eradication Initiative:
• The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by WHO,
Rotary International, CDC and UNICEF. The success of the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative is grounded on the solid private-public partnership
which has been built with Rotary International.
• There are now 209 countries, territories and areas free of
polio. Since 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has succeeded
in reducing the number of polio cases from an annual 350 000 in more
than 125 countries, to just 1919 in 2002, in seven countries, representing
a more than 99 per cent reduction in annual polio cases. The seven remaining
polio endemic countries are (from highest to lowest burden of disease):
India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Egypt, Afghanistan, Niger, and Somalia. It
is the lowest number of polio endemic countries in history.
• Rotary has been a key advocacy partner, raising the importance
of polio eradication with government heads throughout the world. The
largest private sector partner to the Initiative, this latest fundraising
effort pushes Rotary’s total commitment to polio eradication to
well over US$500 million.
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For further information, please contact :
Melissa Corkum, WHO/Geneva, tel. +41 79 500 6554, corkumm@who.int
Oliver Rosenbauer, WHO/Geneva, tel. +41 22 791 3832, rosenbauero@who.int
Vivian Fiore, Rotary Int’l/Chicago, tel. +1 847 866 3234, fiorev@rotaryintl.org
Steve Stewart, CDC/Atlanta, tel. +1 404 639 8327, znc4@cdc.gov
Claire Hajaj, UNICEF/New York, +1 (212) 326 7566, chajaj@unicef.org
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