To The Editor:
I wanted to bring to your attention a recent major development in global public health. In September, the World Health Organization declared Nigeria polio-free. Nigeria was the last country in Africa with endemic poliovirus, leaving now only two countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan – where polio has never been stopped. If we can root the virus out of these two last strongholds, polio is poised to be only the second human disease ever eradicated, after smallpox.
Rotary International, a humanitarian service organization with nearly 34,000 clubs across the world, including the Mad River Valley Rotary Club, made polio eradication a top priority in 1985. When the initiative started, more than 350,000 people were stricken by polio every year – nearly 1,000 new polio cases every day. Since that time, cases have been reduced by 99.9 percent with fewer than 50 cases so far in 2015.
On October 24, the Hyde Away Inn, in conjunction with the Mad River Valley Rotary, will honor World Polio Day by donating 20 percent of food sales to Rotary’s PolioPlus. The MRV Rotary has donated over $5,000 to the fight against polio since 1985 and will match the Hyde Away donation dollar for dollar.
All donations will be tripled, under a 2-to-1 match from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Please join us at the Hyde Away in supporting the fight to protect all children from polio, or by visiting endpolio.org to donate.
Dinsmore Fulton
MRV Rotary community chair
