Proclamation – World Polio Day, October 24, 2025

“Whereas the Rotary Club of Northumberland Sunrise is an active club of Rotary International which launched PolioPlus in 1985 and spearheaded the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the World Health Organization and UNICEF to immunize the children of the world against polio; and

Whereas Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5, which the World Health Assembly committed to eradicate in 1988; and

Whereas Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years with the goal of ridding the world of the disease, and have successfully reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since their first project to vaccinate children in 1979; and

Whereas Rotary Members have contributed more than $USD 2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protecting more than 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease; and

Whereas these efforts are providing much needed operational support, medical staff, laboratory equipment, and education materials for health workers and parents;

Now Therefore Be It Resolved That I, Warden Brian Ostrander, on behalf of Northumberland County Council do hereby proclaim October 24, 2025 to be ‘World Polio Day’ in Northumberland County.”