RI General Secretary John Hewko meets with Bill Gates on polio eradication

 

 

General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International John Hewko (right) met with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 7 September in Seattle, Washington, USA, to discuss moving forward together to eradicate polio.

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General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International John Hewko met with Bill Gates, cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 7 September in Seattle, Washington, USA, to discuss moving forward together to eradicate polio and continuing to energize Rotarians to see the eradication effort through to the finish. 

"The meetings at the Gates Foundation were very productive," Hewko says. "Bill Gates recognized the enormous contribution of Rotary to the cause of polio eradication and the tremendous capacity of Rotarians to continue the fight. We identified several concrete opportunities to work even more closely together to achieve our mutual goal of a polio-free world." 

Polio eradication is within reach. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has made significant steps forward since the launch last year of its new strategic plan and the bivalent oral polio vaccine. Among the four polio-endemic countries, India has reported only one case of the disease so far this year. A recent report by the GPEI Independent Monitoring Board, while noting some concerns in meeting GPEI goals, nevertheless stated that India is "on track to interrupt transmission this year." 

Polio cases worldwide decreased almost 50 percent during the first six months of 2011, compared with the same period in 2010. 

Rotarians are raising funds for polio eradication as part of Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge to match $355 million in grants from the Gates Foundation. The resulting $555 million will support immunization campaigns in developing countries where polio continues to infect and paralyze children, robbing them of their futures and compounding the hardships faced by their families.  

As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk.  

Rotarians can help end the disease by providing funding and reminding their communities and government leaders that polio still exists and causes tremendous suffering. 

For more information: 

• Read "Polio Eradication Within Reach, Despite Concerns."
• Read more about polio and what you can do to help.
• Ask questions of RI General Secretary John Hewko during a free webinar.