On Monday members planted 1000 crocuses on Day’s Green, Headcorn.
The crocuses were planted as part of Rotary Great Britain and Ireland’s Purple4Polio campaign. Clubs across the nations organise lots of activities to raise money and awareness of the Rotary End Polio Now campaign. The Purple4Polio suggested activities use the colour purple as it signifies the colour of the dye painted on a child’s little finger to signify they have received their life saving polio vaccine.
For over 30 years, Rotary members have been committed to fighting to eradicate polio across the world.The amount of polio-endemic countries has dropped from 125 to just two, with over 2.5 billion children receiving vaccinations thanks to the help of Rotary.
The End Polio Now programme contributes funds to purchase vaccinations, surveillance and transport of vaccines to affected areas. The programme and its partners have established infrastructure e.g. laboratory facilities that are not just for Polio but are for the eradication of other potent diseases including Covid.
Although polio cases are down by 99.9% and over 2.5 billion children have been immunised, remote and rural areas are the hardest to reach. It requires at least three years with no new cases being reported in order to declare the world polio free, so by continuing to fund immunisation programmes in these areas, together we can make history.
If the global campaign ceases because of lack of funds, it would take less than 10 years for polio to return to pandemic levels, with up to 200,000 new cases of paralysis every year in countries which have long been free of the disease.
