OKEECHOBEE – Oct. 28 was declared World Polio Day in Okeechobee County. The proclamation was presented to Toni Wiersma, president of the Rotary Club in Okeechobee County.

At the Oct. 28 meeting of the Okeechobee County Commission, Toni Wiersma on behalf of the Rotary Club in Okeechobee County, was presented a …

Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who unite and take action to create lasting change in communities across the globe. The Rotary motto, Service Above Self, inspires members to provide humanitarian service, follow high ethical standards, and promote goodwill and peace in the world.

In 1985, Rotary launched PolioPlus and in 1988 helped establish the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which today includes the World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to immunize the children of the world against polio.

Polio cases have dropped by 99.9 percent since 1988 and the world stands on the threshold of eradicating the disease.

“In this world there are only two active polio cases,” said Wiersma, one in Pakistan and one in Afghanistan. She said it is important to continue immunization efforts to keep polio from coming back.