Fareham Rotarian in fight against Polio

Bob Mussellwhite, former president of the Rotary Club of Fareham, has been travelling throughout Delhi with his wife Sue, administering the Polio vaccination to children.

The Rotary Club of Fareham supports the local community through Interact, the Wheelhouse and a variety of charitable events.

Rotary International launched a public health campaign in 1985 that led to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative being set up.

Rotary clubs across the world have been joining forces with other organisations and have worked tirelessly to almost completely remove Polio from the face of the earth.

One day was set aside for immunising 172,000,000 children under the age of five and these were carried out in 709,000 immunisation booths all over India.

There were also Indian Rotarian members involved in the event along with health workers. Bob and Sue were with 68 other British people, 38 Belgians, 38 Japanese, 3 Swedes, one Swiss and 70 from the USA.

Bob Mussellwhite said: ‘It was a privilege for us to see the positive end results of our fundraising with Rotary in Fareham and elsewhere.

‘This made the purchase, supply and administration of vaccines possible to great effect.

‘The contributions of people in Fareham, through fundraising campaigns by the Rotary Club of Fareham and by others around the world, has all helped to get closer to a polio-free world.’

If successful it will be only the second disease affecting humans to have been eradicated – the first being smallpox.

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