October 24 was World Polio Day. Tarkio Rotary, along with Rotarians around the world, are working to eradicate polio. Rotarians have contributed $2.2 billion to this effort. Why work so hard to eradicate polio?

1. To improve lives. Without a vaccine, 16 million people would be paralyzed with polio today.

2. To invest in the future. Within 10 years, as many as 200,000 children could be paralyzed by polio each year if not eradicated.

3. To improve child health. Polio surveillance networks and vaccination campaigns also monitor other health problems so they can be addressed sooner.

4. To save money. A polio-free world will save the global economy $40-$50 billion in health costs within the next 20 years.

5. To make history. We are on the brink of eradicating a human disease for only the second time in history. The campaign to eradicate polio has reduced the cases by 99.9 percent.