Oct 24th is World Polio Day. The Rotary Club of Sussex has partnered with other Rotary clubs in District 7810 to plant 11,000 tulips. Each box of 25 tulips raises enough money to protect eight children from the devastating effects of Polio!Polio is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children. In it's most severe form, it causes nerve injury leading to paralysis, difficulty breathing and sometimes death. There is no cure for Polio; its only prevention is through immunization.
In 1985, Rotary International established the "PolioPlus" program and raised $120 million to support the cause.
By 1988 the Global Polio Eradication efforts reported 350,000 cases in 125 countries worldwide.
Currently, we report that 2.5 billion children have received immunization in 125 countries. Rotary has helped to eradicate Polio in 123 countries with only 16 reported cases in Afghanistan and 66 cases in Pakistan! We celebrate the fact that 99.9% of the world is Polio free!
District 7810 has raised enough money to provide vaccines for 3,520 children! The blooms in the Spring of 2020 will show a beautiful sign of hope for a polio-free world.
