Today’s video program was presented by Hanover Rotarian Deb Stambaugh and entitled “Polio - What Is This Terrible Disease?”
Deb’s video explained that the last case of polio was discovered in the U.S. in 1971 and was completely eradicated in this country in 1979. However, we learned that polio can actually attack twice as has happened to Deb later in her life. That is called Post Polio Syndrome and it can strike at any age and in many different ways. The fight to conquer polio has come a long way from Dr. Jonas Salk and his work at the U. of Pittsburgh where he developed the first polio vaccine in 1953 followed by Dr. Albert Sabin of NYU who developed the oral polio vaccine several years later. The vaccines have gone from shots and sugar cubes that many of us “old timers” remember to now just getting a simple drop on the tongues of young kids in developing countries. The acceptance of vaccines from that time until today has completely changed thanks in part to what people are reading on the Internet, progress? At this point, through the Global Eradication Program, Rotary’s focus is on Afghanistan as the last country in the world where polio still exists, wonder why? And from his time serving in our embassy there Paul Berg told us that the Taliban actually supports the vaccination of the young children in Afghanistan but not in Pakistan where there’s a different tribe of Taliban, interesting. Thanks Paul. When Rotary is successful in eradicating polio it will be the second disease to be eradicated in the world, the first was small pox. As Deb explained, through the efforts of the Rotary Foundation’s partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to establish the Polio Plus campaign in 1985 any gifts to Polio Plus through the Foundation will be tripled by the Gate’s Foundation. Just make your check payable to the Rotary Foundation with Polio Plus in the memo line of your check and they will take it from there. Just see Deb if you have any questions. Deb also wanted to remind us that October 24th is World Polio Day and to help acknowledge that Hanover Rotary is sponsoring a fundraiser at the Public House at The Markets on Broadway this Sunday 10/24 from noon to 2:00pm with 10% of all the drinks sold will go to Polio Plus then matched 3:1 by the Gates Foundation. Great program Deb, well done!