The end polio now message will be reinforced by a range of initiatives to recognise World Polio Day in the island on Saturday.
The Rotary Club of Douglas will be supporting the day and promoting the message with special purple flood lighting which will illuminate the capital’s Tynwald building, with special permission from the President of Tynwald.
Another of the island’s iconic landmarks, the Tower of Refuge in Douglas bay will also be bathed in purple light to mark the day.
Rotary Club members and guests will be at a special meal at the Mount Murray on October 21 to hear a presentation on the progress of the global polio campaign.
Since the launch of the campaign, Douglas Rotary Club, with support from the Isle of Man International Development Committee, has provided enough funding to vaccinate 570,000 people since 2011.
Kevin Kneen, from the club, said it was an amazing effort by everyone involved.
‘The club is still publicising the global campaign and is in the process of issuing posters to all the schools in the island to update them on Rotary’s progress towards winning the fight against polio.’
In recent years Rotary members have visited the island’s schools and given presentations to pupils explaining what polio is and emphasising the importance of the campaign.
The club has also worked with churches and the wider community to promote the campaign
Mr Kneen said there had been some major breakthroughs this year with no new cases of the disease reported in all of Africa for a whole year. This was established with confirmation of no new cases in Nigeria or Somalia for 12 months. ‘This is the longest that Africa has ever gone without any new cases. It is a momentous milestone to celebrate,’ he said.
There are now just two remaining countries where polio is still endemic. They are Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In addition, when the End Polio Now campaign first started in 1985, there were 1,000 reported cases of polio every day around the world. That has fallen to just 61 world wide so far this year.
Each polio vaccination costs just 50 pence and for each donation to the cause the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is matching it two for one. The target is to eradicate the disease completely by 2018, worldwide. Anyone able to help suppport the campaign should contact Mr Kneen at the Rotary Club of Douglas.