The Polio Good News:

For the 13th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating — four stars — from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S.  The Foundation earned the recognition for adhering to sector best practices and executing its mission in a financially efficient way, demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. Only one percent of the organizations Charity Navigator evaluates have received 13 consecutive 4-star evaluations.

With the eradication of wild Polio from the African region, five of WHO's six regions, representing more than 90% of the world's population, are now free of the disease.

Now that we are down to the final two Wild Polio Endemic countries, I will be listing the 16 reasons we need to End Polio in Pakistan (from Dawn.com): 
#16 - Polio case numbers have been increasing in Pakistan.  The number of new cases is a cause for concern.  If even one child is infected, at least 200 other face the risk of contracting the Poliovirus from them.  

2020 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Cases - 841:    
Afghanistan - 214 (0 in 2019)
Angola - 3 (129 in 2019)
Benin - 1 (8 in 2019) 
Burkina Faso - 49 (1 in 2019)
Cameroon - 7 (0 in 2019)
CAR - 4 (21 in 2019)
Chad - 91 (10 in 2019)
China - 0 (1 In 2019)
Congo - 1
Cote d' Ivoire - 68 (0 in 2019)
DRC - 70 (86 in 2019)
Ethiopia - 21 (11 in 2019)
Ghana - 11 (18 in 2019)
Guinea - 29 (0 in 2019)
Mali - 28
Malaysia - 1 (3 in 2019)
Myanmar - 0 (6 in 2019)
Pakistan - 110 (22 in 2019)
Papua New Guinea - 0 (0 in 2019)  
Niger - 8 (1 in 2019)
Nigeria - 6 (18 in 2019)
Philippines - 1 (16 in 2019)
Somalia - 13 (3 in 2019)
South Sudan - 28 (0 in 2019)
Sudan - 48 
Yemen - 19 
Togo - 9 (8 in 2019)
Zambia - 0 (2 in 2019)   
361 Vaccine Derived Polio cases were reported in 2019.  
 

Quote of the Day - "The world cares very little what you or I know, but it does care a great deal about what you or I do."  -  Booker T Washington 


The Final Two Polio Endemic Countries:

PAKISTAN
No new Polio cases reported this week. Eighty-two Polio cases reported in 2020.  The most recent case had an onset of paralysis on 10/22/20.  Pakistan reported 147 Wild Polio cases in 2019.  Three Polio-Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Pakistan.

AFGHANISTAN  
No new Polio cases reported this past week.  Fifty-six Polio cases reported in 2020.  The most recent case had an onset of paralysis on 10/02/20. Afghanistan reported 29 Wild Polio cases in 2019. No Polio-Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Afghanistan.  

Our Goal is Global Polio Eradication!!

Terry Ziegler, Endowment/Major Gifts Adviser Rotary Region 26