Rotary to host putt putt fundraiser

On Saturday, Oct. 21, the Thermopolis Rotary Club is hosting a Putt Putt for Polio fundraiser at Dairyland Miniature Golf from. 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have made great strides to reduce polio cases by 99.9% worldwide over the past 35 years, and they have reduced the circulation of wild polio to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.

As World Polio Day approaches on 24 October, Rotary members are pleased to recognize this progress. However, they ask everyone to help them finish the job and end polio for good to ensure that this paralyzing disease does not return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk.

From encouraging vaccine acceptance, to sharing factual vaccination information, to calling on elected officials to fund polio eradication, there are so many ways in which you can each support polio eradication efforts. Everyone must all do their part to prevent polio outbreaks in our own communities and continue the march toward global eradication.

Polio was once one of the most feared diseases globally. A highly infectious disease with no cure, polio spread rapidly through communities and left devastation in its wake. Every year, thousands of children used to be killed and hundreds of thousands paralyzed. Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. The virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can then attack the nervous system.

Today, thanks to global efforts and innovative tools, polio cases are down 99.9%. With wild poliovirus restricted to just a few high-risk geographies, the world has an historic opportunity to stop virus transmission for good.

“Personally, one of the main reasons I am a Rotarian and financially support the Rotary Foundation Polio fund is the work Rotary International has done over the past 40+ years to eradicate Polio from the world. We have a real chance to eradicate only the second disease to be eliminated in the history of the world. This is a disease that has affected at least three members of the local Rotary club,” said Thermpolis Rotary club member Brad Basse.

He added, “Another point is that the Polio vaccine is safe and effective and I don’t want more recent vaccine controversies to spill over to the fight to end polio.”

Additional information on Polio include:

•350,000 children were paralyzed by polio every year before 1988

•20 million children are walking today who would have otherwise been paralyzed

•Only 2 countries remain endemic with wild polio in 2023

•80% of variant polio cases are in only 4 subnational regions

We all have an opportunity to make history by ending polio, which will be only the second human disease ever to be eradicated, and the time for action is now. Visit rotary.org or endpolio.org to learn more about how you can get involved.