Since 1988, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99 percent, from about 350,000 infecti

(Evanston, IL) – The Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club is preparing for the annual 5K Run Walk Race to End Polio on Sunday April 15 along the Evanston lakefront. Polio still affects thousands of individuals each year, and can be prevented with a simple vaccine that is readily available. There is no cure or treatment for polio, thus the vaccine is the only preventable measure.
Participants can register online by April 10 at secure.racemonkey.com/1348 for $22 or on race day for $25. Participants will register on the East side of the Norris Center on the Northwestern University campus beginning at 6 a.m. on the morning of the race. The race begins cheap american airlines tickets at 7:30am, the walk at 7:45.
The $200 million fundraising milestone, announced in January at Rotary's annual cheap american airlines tickets International Assembly in San Diego, was reached in response to a $355 million challenge grant from the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation. All funds have been earmarked to support polio immunization activities in affected countries where this vaccine-preventable disease continues to paralyze children.
Despite a stagnant global economy, Rotary members not only reached into their own pockets to support the Gates challenge, they engaged their communities in a variety of creative fundraising projects, cheap american airlines tickets such as a fashion show in California that raised $52,000; benefit film screenings in New Zealand and Australia that netted $54,000; and a pledge-supported hike through Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, cheap american airlines tickets that brought in $38,000. Many events were planned around October 24, widely observed as World Polio Day.
Since 1988, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99 percent, from about 350,000 infections annually to fewer than 650 cases reported so far for 2011. The wild poliovirus now remains endemic – meaning its transmission has never been stopped – in only three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. India was removed from the endemic cheap american airlines tickets list on 25 February 2012.
Reaching children with the oral polio vaccine in the disease's remaining strongholds is labor and resource -intensive due to a host of challenges, including poor infrastructure, geographical isolation, cheap american airlines tickets armed conflict and cultural misunderstanding about the eradication campaign.
The Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club meets Tuesdays from 7:15 to 8:30 am at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1818 Maple Avenue, Evanston, Illinois 60201, for breakfast and a speaker. Membership is open to service-oriented residents and workers of the area. Guests are welcome to attend the meetings. To learn more about the club, its schedule of breakfast programs and its charitable and service programs, visit www.evlrc.org