PHILIPSBURG:--- World Polio Day is October 24, and the members of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset are taking action on this day to raise awareness, funds, and provide support towards the efforts of eradicating Polio, a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today. Poliomyelitis (Polio) is a paralyzing and potentially fatal disease that still threatens children in some parts of the world.
When Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries every year. While on St. Martin and many other countries Polio is just an “ancient” virus, there are still many that are contracting and suffering from this still very live virus. We’ve made great progress against the disease since then. Today, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9 percent, and just two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus being Afghanistan and Pakistan, however, we remain committed to the end.
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset will mark historic progress toward a polio-free world while urging the community to help end the paralyzing disease. Eradicating Polio is a massive effort, therefore, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset’s has launched an “End Polio Now Essay Competition”, for students in secondary schools. The theme for the essay competition is, "The Importance of Eradicating Polio". Essays are to be written in the English language with a word limit of 300 to 500 words. The essays must be sent in a word document with the final date submission being Wednesday, October 20, 2021, via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. This essay competition is for students ages 13 to 17. The winner will be announced on World Polio Day, Sunday, October 24th, 2021, via the club’s social media platform. Rotary Sunset strongly encourages the participation of our young people as they get an opportunity to win a tablet device while promoting the importance of eradicating Polio throughout the world.
With Polio nearly eradicated, Rotary and its partners must sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the Polio vaccine. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to Polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk. Rotary has committed to raising US$50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match that 2-to-1, for a total yearly contribution of $150 million. Rotary has contributed more than $2.2 billion to ending polio since 1985, including donations by the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset.
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset would like to encourage the community to assist in eradicating Polio. Donations can be made at: https://www.endpolio.org/donate. These funds will help to provide much-needed operational support, medical personnel, laboratory equipment, and educational materials for health workers and parents.
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month at Carl N Sons Unique Inn and Conference Facilities in Cole Bay at 7:30 pm. Due to COVID-19, the club currently meets via Zoom. The club can be contacted via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the official Facebook page at facebook.com/rotarysxmsunset.