"The Polio Story" at Farmington Rotary

Farmington Rotary club is holding an educational luncheon on Tuesday October 6th at Orchard United Methodist Church on Farmington Road just south of 14 Mile Road.

The luncheon will have multiple speakers and video material during the one hour event. This event will be held on the Rotary clubs normal meeting day and time, but last only one hour. Buffet lunch starts 15 minutes earlier.

The speakers will include experts on the history of Rotary’s activities in this area, including their worldwide vaccination of millions of children (actually more than 2.5 billion), and the reduction of cases in the world to 41 so far this year. When Rotary and its partners succeed in eradicating Polio, it will be only the third disease ever eradicated. The first was smallpox in 1979, and the second, rinderpest in 2011.

The Farmington area played a major role in the early years of Polio. This event will includes descriptions of the activities that occurred in our area.

There are now only two countries in the world that are endemic. Those countries are Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rotary and its partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN and many organization within many countries, have worked tirelessly to reach the position we are in now. Funding raised by Rotarians worldwide ($1.3 billion), supported by philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates and the Gates foundation continue to ensure we will reach the goal very soon.

This luncheon event is intended to ensure that our local Farmington community is aware of this Polio Story and the work that has come before, plus ensure they are aware of the long term results of polio in our community, and are aware of the final push. The Michigan Polio Network will educate us all on the long term results of those that acquired polio in their youth and are still suffering from Post Polio Syndrome.

One of our members, John Stucky, was the executive in Rotary International at Evanston, IL when the goal of eradicating polio was set and the initial plans to vaccinate all of the children of the world were set in motion in 1985.

To attend this very informative luncheon, please call 248.757.1865 or email polio@farmingtonrotaryclub.org or turn up on the day before 11:45am if you plan to participate in the luncheon as well as hear the event activities.