ROTARY POLIO PLUS A Critical Year for Eradication

ROTARY & POLIO PLUS A Critical Year for Eradication August 17. 2019 JIM ARNETT – DISTRICT 5710 POLIO AMBASSADOR

Polio weekly update ~ 17 Aug 2019 ~ Good News & Bad • Nigeria: 0 WPV cases in 2019 (AND no cases since Aug 26, 2016); Great news–as now only 9 Days away from Nigeria being Polio Free • Fewer WPV Positive environmental samples last week is good news • Afghanistan: 12 cases in 2019 (compared with 8 for the same period in 2018) –holding its own with added inoculation campaigns • Five new wild Polio cases last week, resulting in 65 wild polio cases for the year in the last 3 endemic countries – concern for this trend as only 14 last year by same time and total of 33 for all of 2018 • Pakistan: 53 cases in 2019 (compared with only 12 for all 2018) – heightened concerns, with cross-border infections likely • Another important area being closely monitored is an uptick in CVDPV in a number of countries but is being actively controlled

WHY IS THIS YEAR SO IMPORTANT FOR POLIO PLUS? • Remember that since 1985 Rotary Clubs worldwide have, including the Gates Matching funds, donated over $1. 7 B to Polio Plus • With the Gates Matching Challenge continuing for 1 more year Rotary has the potential to reach an additional $450 Million for Polio Plus • 5710 enabled > 1/4 $Million last year! We need to do it again – and we can! • SAVE THE DATE: WORLD POLIO DAY 2019 IS OCTOBER 24 TH • Now is the time to start promoting your club’s Polio Plus Event that week • There are great ideas for fundraising at endpolio. org • Promote public awareness of the need – display the EPN logo publicly– enlist your local cities to declare 10 -24 special proclamation days – use your club’s social media to spread the word that: To Get to a Polio-Free World with ZERO cases for at least 3 Years we still need to Immunize 400 Million kids every year, hire > 150, 000 workers, accelerate the transition of NID’s to IPV and constantly improve how we monitor and detect any new WPV and CVDPV cases.

So How Can Rotary Leaders Help Now? • Plan for your club to hold a Polio Plus Fundraising Event such as: • • Pancake Breakfasts Organize a walk-a-thon, bike-a-thon, skate-a-thon or 5 K Run “Pints for Polio” – District-Wide Event @ local microbreweries Art Auctions – Silent Auctions – Wine Auctions “Purple Pinkie Finger Days” Polio “Swap-Meet” - % of proceeds to Polio Plus “Skip-A-Meal” proceeds from a regular meeting AND LOTS MORE IDEAS – ASK JIM ARNETT FOR A LIST OF FUNDRAISING IDEAS • Establish your Club’s Polio Plus Donation Goal @ at least $1200. 00 • Appoint a Member of your Club to be its Polio Plus Chairman • Wear the “END POLIO NOW” pin with your Rotary pin, and then: • Ask your members to have their “elevator” talk ready to spread the word about Rotary’s Polio Eradication Goal in their communities

District Wide “PINTS FOR POLIO” More info to come!!

SO HOW MUCH CAN YOUR CLUB MATCH NOW? DISTRICT WILL MATCH UP TO $20, 000 DONATED BY ALL CLUBS THIS YEAR CONTACT JIM ARNETT OR JOHN DONOVAN FOR DETAILS REMEMBER: WE ARE “THIS CLOSE”

Countdown to History “We are ACHINGLY CLOSE to getting rid of polio – more than 99. 9 PERCENT of the way there. Finishing the job is a big challenge, but it is VERY DOABLE if we keep up the effort. ” --- BILL GATES