Mayor Teri Johnston and the City Commission have proclaimed October 24 as World Polio Day.
Rotary has championed the move to eradicate polio from the planet. In 1985, Rotary launched PolioPlus and in 1988, helped establish the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which today includes the World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to immunize the children of the world against polio.
“Polio cases have dropped by 99.9 percent since 1988,” reads the proclamation, "and the world stands on the threshold of eradicating the disease. Rotary has contributed over $1.9 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries."
The community is encouraged to wear purple on October 24 and to donate to https://www.endpolio.org/donate to help provide much-needed operational support, medical staff, laboratory equipment, and educational materials for health workers and parents.