World Polio Day is Oct. 24

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IRON RIVER—World Polio Day is observed annually on Oct. 24 and was established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, the developer of the vaccine to fight the disease.
    On Saturday, thousands of Rotary clubs around the world will hold events and fundraisers to recognize Rotary International’s progress in the global fight to end polio.    
    According to its website, Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years.
    “Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever,” the website stated.
    As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary said polio cases have been reduced by 99.9 percent since the first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.
    Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly three 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.
    Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
    “But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.”
    Those who wish to donate to Rotary can do so at rotary.org.