Midland City Council issued a proclamation declaring Oct. 24, 2023, "World Polio Day." The proclamation is a part of an effort to raise awareness of polio, which, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), describes as an infectious disease that may cause paralysis in human beings. According to an Oct. 24 Facebook post by the city of Midland, the 118-year-old non-profit service group Rotary International is at the forefront, with Rotary Club of Midland and Midland West Rotary Club in the fight. "We encourage all citizens to support this ongoing effort to eradicate polio worldwide," the city said in the post.
Citing Rotary International, the city said that since 1988, polio cases have dropped 99.9%, with more than $1.5 billion and numerous volunteer hours logged to protect 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. There’s an ongoing effort to raise funds to match a $300 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The post said the funding goes toward medical staff, equipment, and education for health workers and parents. "Rotary's influence has also led to an $8 billion contribution from donor governments," according to the post.
According to an article on the Rotary International website, clubs worldwide have taken creative approaches to address the diseases. In France, a tyrannosaurus rex themed run had participants dressed up like the fearsome dinosaur to raise awareness and funds for polio eradication while a charitable culinary event took place in the Philippines, the article said. A concert in South Korea which prominently featured gugak music raised the equivalent of $12,000.