RI President 2022-23 Jennifer
Jones
Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland
Ontario, Canada
================
Dear Fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors, and friends,
In August, I was proud to visit Pakistan and highlight Rotary’s
top goal, eradicating polio. It was also a tremendous opportunity
to spotlight female health workers who are playing a critical role
in protecting children from this vaccine-preventable disease.
This month, as we celebrate World Polio Day, we are shining a spotlight
on our more than 30-year effort to lead the first global polio eradication
campaign and our success in forming partnerships capable of completing
this massive goal. We all know that this is one of the most ambitious
global health initiatives in history and that we’ve reduced
polio cases by more than 99.9 percent worldwide.
Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus
remains endemic. (The other is neighboring Afghanistan.) I was able
to witness and take part in vaccination campaigns in Pakistan, and
soon after I left, a monumental nationwide immunization campaign
took place, focused on 43 million children under the age of 5. I
saw the incredible work of Rotary members on the ground. More than
60 percent of vaccinators in Pakistan are women, and they are doing
a remarkable job building trust and convincing mothers to vaccinate
their children.
Seeing it all firsthand, I know that the will exists across the
Rotary world to end polio, and I’m confident that we have
the strategy. The Pakistani media has been very supportive of our
efforts as well, and this is making a difference. This month, a
new global pledging moment at the World Health Summit in Berlin
promises to pull together more resources to fund these time-sensitive
eradication efforts. Now it is up to us to do our part and raise
$50 million this year to earn the full 2-to-1 match from the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation.
There’s great cause for optimism on the polio front —
but also some staggering new events that have further raised the
stakes. Over the past few months, new polio outbreaks have occurred
in Israel, the United Kingdom and, most recently, in the New York
City area. These stories are frightening, but in every case, the
response is clear — vaccines work, and if polio is spreading,
we need to make sure the most at-risk people have kept their vaccinations
up to date.
Most importantly, we need to eradicate this virus now. If polio
exists anywhere, it can spread everywhere. What I saw in Pakistan
convinced me that we can and must finish the job, but it will only
happen if we remain committed to a strategy that’s working
and back it with all necessary resources.
Through our commitment, generosity, and sheer determination, we
will #EndPolio.
Jennifer Jones
President 2022-23
Trustee Chair's Message - October
2022
Ian H.S.
Riseley
Trustee Chair 2022-23
Sandringham, Victoria, Australia,
Trustee chair's
message
October 2022
Who are your Rotary heroes? One of mine was Clem Renouf,
1978-79 RI president. I related to Sir Clem, who died
in 2020, in many ways. We shared the same profession
and Australian nationality and a passion for polio
eradication. It was Clem’s leadership that first
put us on track to embrace the cause, mobilizing what
is today a global partnership that has led us to the
cusp of eradicating a human disease for only the second
time in history.
What Rotary and its partners have achieved is nothing
short of remarkable. We have helped reduce polio cases
by 99.9 percent worldwide, immunizing more than 2
billion children across 122 countries. Last year alone,
more than 370 million children were vaccinated across
30 countries, using more than 1 billion doses of oral
polio vaccine. As a result, we are seeing near historic
lows in the number of cases. In August 2020, the World
Health Organization African region was certified free
of wild poliovirus, an incredible achievement for
Rotary members and a huge step on the road to eradication.
But remember that as long as polio exists anywhere,
it is a threat to people everywhere, especially to
young children. You may have heard about importations
of the disease to Malawi and Mozambique, detection
of poliovirus in sewage in the UK, and a recent case
in the U.S.
To stay agile, Rotary and its partners are deploying
a new polio vaccine, novel oral polio vaccine type
2 (nOPV2), to fight outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived
poliovirus, also known as variant poliovirus, which
continues to threaten children in Africa, as well
as several countries in Asia and the Middle East,
including Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Rotary is as active as ever. We are calling on every
member to take action and be part of this historic
fight. Take the fight to your clubs and communities
on World Polio Day, 24 October. Keep raising awareness
of the importance of polio eradication and Rotary’s
critical role in that effort by holding events and
fundraisers. Don’t forget that contributions
toward the goal of $50 million per year for polio
eradication will be matched 2-to-1 by our generous
partner, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Like Sir Clem, we can all be Rotary heroes, each playing
a part in our organization’s great legacy. Through
giving, raising awareness and funds, and providing
hands-on service, each of us brings Rotary a step
closer to fulfilling our promise to the children of
the world by eradicating polio for good.
http://www.endpolio.org/donate.
Ian H.S. Riseley
Trustee Chair 2022-23
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