President of Rotary International Ray Klinginsmith has said that total polio eradication from the world is the main objective of Rotary. The polio eradication project was being done in association with the Centre for Disease Control (United States), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United National International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Mr. Klinginsmith was here to participate in the ‘Intercity Meet' held at Hotel Green Park on Thursday.
Addressing a media conference on the occasion, he said that the incidence of polio that was brought down from thousands of cases in the past to a few hundred cases worldwide. The disease was now confined to India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. He was optimistic that the polio would be totally eradicated from the world by the end of this year.
A new vaccine – trivalent – has been developed recently that could tackle all three types of polio viruses that have been identified so far. There were 33,000 Rotary clubs worldwide and they were doing a lot of work and their contribution in monetary terms was over $ 1 billion a year.
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Mr. Klinginsmith said that the other areas on which Rotary was concentrating was water, sanitation, maternity and child health and peace and conflict resolution. Masters courses were being offered through seven universities.