Polio is on the edge of eradication. Rotary International and, through it, the Rotary Club of Jamestown, has been instrumental in making that statement possible. According to a recent article in The New York Times, there were only 74 cases last year, all in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This year, there have been only nine, also in those two countries. Beginning April 17, more than 150 countries and territories will switch to a new oral polio vaccine — the first worldwide vaccine change ever attempted. And, according to the article, polio experts hope to finish the switch within two weeks. The developing world, including many populous countries like India, China and Indonesia, uses up to 1.8 billion doses of oral polio vaccine each year. To read more about the upcoming change in polio vaccines, click here.
 
The Rotary Club of Jamestown is lucky to have members who are able to go overseas and provide polio vaccines to children. Rotarian Dr. Dave Troxell and his wife, Marissa, recently traveled to New Delhi, India, where they administered the vaccine to children as part of a "Keep India Polio Free" initiative. See below for photos of Dave and Marissa vaccinating children.