The Ada Rotary Club raised the  “End Polio Now” flag in the  Depot Park on Monday.

Rotary members in Ada are among thousands who reached out on World Polio Day to raise awareness, funds and support to end polio – an incurable but vaccine preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today.

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a paralyzing and potentially fatal disease that  invades  the nervous system and can  cause  total paralysis in a matter of hours. It can strike at any age but mainly affects children under 5 years old.

Since Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative nearly 30 years ago, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to 26 confirmed as of Sept. 19, 2016. 

To sustain this progress, and protect all children from polio,  experts say $1.5   billion is urgently needed. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to previously  polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk.

Since 1985, Rotary clubs, like the one in Ada, has contributed more than $1.6 billion to ending polio and sent volunteers across the globe to vaccinate children.

Visit endpolio.org for more about Rotary and its efforts to eradicate polio.

About Rotary
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing  humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects  1.2 million  members of  more  than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas.

Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.   The Ada Rotary Club was founded in 1936 and has provided community support in the form of sidewalks, park improvements and volunteers for various   community projects as well as dictionaries,  scholarships,  attendance at the   annual World Community Workshop and access to the Rotary Youth Exchange program for local K-12 students.

Ada Rotary meets every Tuesday at noon at the Inn at Ohio. Visitors are always welcome.