Page 4 - District Interactive Newsletter Feb 2017

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that enabled her to feed her children; and to POLIO
thousands of college students in almost every
country, it was a chance to study abroad, with Rotary International’s Director of Polio Plus,
expenses paid. Carole Pendak, has issued a statement to clarify
the position on polio eradication amid media
We at the District Interactive Newsletter want to stories about vaccine shortages.
hear your stories of how Foundation has helped
you or your project, or what you’re doing to She writes: “There is currently a global
celebrate the centenary. Send us your stories. Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) supply
constraint, meaning that some countries which
Here is a video celebrating 100 had intended to introduce IPV this year may not
years of the Rotary Foundation receive adequate supply until later in 2017 or in
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNkmvi some instances even 2018. However, these
tMUes countries are all polio-free and considered to be at
low risk of polio re-emergence.

“The available supply is being prioritized to areas
considered most at risk or need of this particular
vaccine. Through our close partnership with all
Global Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partner
agencies, Rotary is kept well informed of this
situation and has played an active role in working
to ensure that this supply shortfall does not
impact on our eradication work.

“To eradicate polio successfully in the first place,
however, Oral Poliovirus Vaccine (OPV) will
remain the primary tool. There is no global supply
constraint associated with OPV, and vaccinations
are continuing on a large scale in the remaining
endemic countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and
Nigeria, as well as countries considered of high
risk of re-infection.”