Rotary Club of Lynnwood buys dialysis machines for India
06/22/2011
Lynnwood Rotary's President-Elect Stan McKenzie flew to India in June to dedicate
the machines. On his visit, he spoke to 2,600 local students and reminded them that
Rotary has also helped purchase polio vaccines for the area and challenged them to
get involved and help eradicate polio worldwide.
In 1985 Rotary started the Polio Plus program to eradicate polio throughout the world. At the time, there were roughly 350,000 children affected by polio worldwide. In 2009, the World Health Organization reported that there were less than 1,700 cases worldwide, however, those cases — the final one percent, are the most difficult and expensive to prevent. Challenges include geographic isolation, worker fatigue, armed conflict, and cultural barriers. The goal is to help eradicate polio in these areas with help from matching grants from the Gates Foundation and the assistance of 1.2 million Rotarians.