The presentation at this week’s Rotary Club of Carson City is vaccinations. Not COVID, but rather polio.
Phil Mahoney, the district chair for Rotary International’s Polio Plus program, will be the guest speaker at the meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at noon in the Brewery Arts Center’s Grand Ballroom. The public is invited.
Since its founding in 1979 Rotary International’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative has reduced cases of polio by 99%. Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from the paralyzing disease.
Mahoney says while polio is eradicated in many countries it’s important to continue the campaign. “Only a couple of countries have active cases of polio, but if we stop vaccinating children against the disease, we could see hundreds of thousands of cases within a decade” he said. “Additionally, the polio campaign helps the medical community prevent and fight other diseases.”
The presentation will cover the history of polio, the current status, vaccines and the different types of the polio viruses. Mahoney will also talk about the effort to bring the Polio Plus program back to the forefront of Rotary Clubs in our area.
Anyone interested in attending should email carsoncitynvrotary@gmail.com, to learn more about Rotary International’s Polio Eradication Initiative click on https://www.rotary.org/en/our-causes/ending-polio.
