SANDPOINT — Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease, according to the CDC.

Polio is caused by the poliovirus, which spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person’s brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis. In 1988, when Rotary International and the World Health Organization launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, there were an estimated 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries, according to the Rotary International website. Rotary International had launched its PolioPlus initiative three years earlier as well, with an initial fundraising goal of with an initial fundraising goal of $120 million. Rotary has since helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries, and has contributed more than $1.8 billion toward eradicating the disease worldwide.

“Much has been accomplished and currently there are only two countries in the world that still have the wide polio virus,” said Rotary Club of Sandpoint president Mel Dick. 

“Rotary and it’s global partners are optimistic that it will be eradicated in the next several years.”

It is crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free as well, according to the website, because if all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year. In fact, polio recently returned to the Philippines as a result of a lack of vaccinations, Dick said.

“Fortunately, there is a very major active vaccination program going on with Rotary, the World Health Organization and the Gates Foundation to hopefully nip it in the bud quickly,” he said.

There is no cure, but Polio can be prevented through immunization. The polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always protects a child for life. The strategy to eradicate polio, therefore, is based on preventing infection by immunizing every child until transmission stops and the world is polio-free.

Thursday is World Polio Day, established a number of years ago by Rotary International to raise awareness and funds to keep the progress moving forward. The Rotary Club of Sandpoint will be holding “Pints for Polio,” a World Polio Day viewing event at Matchwood Brewing on Thursday.

A portion of all beer and wine sales for the day will go to PolioPlus, Rotary’s ongoing effort to eradicate polio. There will be a live Facebook feed by Rotary International streamed at Matchwood from 5-5:30 p.m. Thursday as well, highlighting heroes of polio eradication, with stories from polio-endemic and recently impacted areas.

Everyone is encouraged to stop by Matchwood and watch the video, learn more about Rotary’s efforts, and stay for dinner and a pint.

Information: endpolio.org

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.