PRESS RELEASE WORLD POLIO DAY 2014
- Details
- Category: News and Events
- Published on 16 October 2014
PRESS RELEASE
October 16, 2014
Sir Emeka Offor Foundation and Rotary International Commemorate World Polio Day
‘24 October, 2014’
Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g. contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis. Polio remains endemic in three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. This year Nigeria has made tremendous progress in curbing the spread, reflecting a 95 present reduction in transmission resulting in only six confirmed cases to date.
The World Polio Day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. Use of this inactivated poliovirus vaccine and subsequent widespread use of the oral poliovirus, developed by Albert Sabin, led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988. Since then, GPEI has reduced polio worldwide by 99%.
Sir Emeka Offor is Rotary’s largest donor from Africa and as the first Polio Ambassador to Nigeria he is determined to see that Nigeria is polio free. In furtherance of his commitment towards the eradication of polio, Sir Emeka has donated over $3.1 million to the National PolioPlus initiative; he has also initiated several programmes like the “Differently Able Project” to support polio survivors and continues to champion child immunization through advocacy with political, traditional and religious leaders.
The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation in partnership with Rotary International will be sponsoring a number of activities to commemorate the 2014 World Polio Day. Activities will commence on the 18th of October and span through the 24th of October when the ‘Yes to Health, No to Polio’ audio book will be launched.
As the World Polio Day draws close, all well-meaning Nigerians are urged to join the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation and Rotary International on their avowed commitment towards polio eradication in Nigeria.
We are this close to eradicating Polio
About Sir Emeka Offor Foundation
The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) is a charitable, non-governmental organization founded by Sir Emeka Offor to help people in need become independent and self-sufficient. The Foundation seeks to alleviate suffering of the less privileged in society and is committed to providing support in the areas of human capacity development, skills acquisition and the establishment of small and medium enterprises (SME’s) and cooperative societies. The Foundation has affected the lives of many Nigerians through its domestic and international projects. www.sireofforfoundation.org
About Rotary International
Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. www.rotary.org
Enquiries:
Rosaline Agiamoh
Polio Ambassador Representative
SEOF/Rotary International
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
OR
Dr Edwin Ndukwe
Head Communications and Business Development
The Chrome Group
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Chrome Group
22 Lobito Crescent,
Wuse 2, Abuja.
