Mangaluru: To create awareness regarding polio vaccination, Rotary district 3181 is organising an awareness walk from Government Wenlock Hospital to Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office on October 24, which is also observed as ‘World Polio Day’.
District Chairman (Polio) Dr.Norman Mendonca told media persons on Tuesday, October 22 that Rotary has been fighting against polio since 1985 and that it has joined hands with World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United States government for disease control and prevention of polio. It is the largest private organisation which has donated billions of dollars to eradicate polio and has led a worldwide campaign to wipe out polio.
Informing about the statistics of polio patients, Mendonca said, “ In 1985, there were 3,50,000 polio cases reported annually around the world. This number has come down drastically to 33 in 2018. India is polio-free from the year 2011 but the world is not polio-free. As poliovirus can attack us any time, our fight against it must go on. We have to vaccinate our children against polio so that they are not affected by it.”
Informing about the scheduled awareness walk, Mendonca said that it will be flagged off by Wenlock Hospital District Surgeon and Superintendent Dr.Rajeshwari Devi, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr.M Ramakrishna Rao, Commissioner of Police Dr.P S Harsha, Rotary District Governor Jose Mathew among others.
Rotary Assistant Governor Rtn Geethand Pai and Rotary Public Image Chairman Sathish Bolar were present.
