WINNING THE WAR AGAINST POLIO

It is hard to believe that the scourge of polio still exists. Thanks to the development of vaccines some 40 years ago, the crippling disease has been wiped out in North and South America, Western Europe, China and Australia. But in some 116 countries elsewhere in the world, polio still strikes, leaving its human devastation in its wake.

In 1985, the worldwide service organization, Rotary International, embarked on a massive fund-raising campaign to provide vaccine wherever it was needed. The ambitious goal announced at the time was to wipe out polio -- everywhere -- by 2005, which coincides with the centennial of Rotary's founding.

Clearly, there is much left to be done to achieve this goal, but thanks to Rotarians here and abroad, the World Health Organization envisions that the campaign will be successful.

The original goal was to raise $112 million in the mid-1980s, but that was far surpassed when Rotarians contributed more than $246 million. Of that, nearly $90,000 came from Rotary clubs in Jackson and Cape Girardeau. Over the years, additional contributions have increased the overall fund-raising effort to more than $400 million, and it is estimated all of it will be need to achieve the goal of eradicating polio.

Hats off to Rotarians everywhere for taking on this challenge, and for their amazing success as we head toward a world without polio.