On Saturday, members of Bowen Island Rotary set up outside the Snug Café to collect donations for World Polio Day and to talk with passersby about the global battle to eradicate polio.
“There were a number of people who did not realize that polio is still a disease to be worried about,” Denis Lynn told The Undercurrent.
“Globally, we are close to eradicating polio, but we are not there yet. In 1985, there were about 1,000 new cases of polio every year. We are down to about 75 now, but in trouble-spots like Afghanistan and Nigeria, it can be tough to ensure that babies get vaccinated and the disease is extremely contagious,” he says.
Lynn says that Bowen Islanders donated a total of $185 to the Rotary International Polio Fund.
That amount is being matched by the Canadian government as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, creating a total sum of $920 to be donated to polio vaccination world-wide.
“Not bad for a few hours work,” says Lynn.
