World Polio Day is today (Saturday, October 24). In 1985 Rotary International launched PolioPlus, and since then a portion of the funds raised by the Wellington community for Rotary has gone towards this cause. Through decades of commitment and work by Rotary worldwide and our partners, more than 2.5 billion children have received the oral polio vaccine.

On August 25, after four years without a case, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Africa region was officially certified free from wild poliovirus. This signifies a major milestone in the battle to eradicate the disease worldwide.

Only two countries continue to see wild poliovirus transmission – Pakistan and Afghanistan.

On behalf of past and present members of the Rotary Club of Wellington, may I say a sincere ‘thank you’ to our community for their contributions over the years – we really have made many lives better.

Michael Parkinson

President, the Rotary Club of Wellington