Dear Rotarians,

Happy New Year! the last several weeks have been exciting for Rotary and polio eradication, and we've seen significant Rotary recognition in new media around the globe -- including a cover story on the international edition of TIME Magazine.ENDPOLIONOW_4p

As we kick-off a new calendar year, here are some the important feature stories you can share. Also included are some key social media statistics and news about a new contribution to PolioPlus from PhRMA, the pharmaceutical trade organization, enabling Rotary to receive a donation for every photo uploaded to the World's Biggest Commercial. If you haven't already, please join today at www.endpolionow.org. We have received thousands of photos from over 110 countries.

 
TIME Magazine – January 3, 2013
Polio eradication is featured as the cover story in the international edition.  The story includes significant mentions of Rotary's key role in the initiative throughout the article including:
 
--"A lot of the progress that's been made so far is due to the efforts of Rotary International, which in 1979- the year polio was declared eradicated in the U.S.- decided to make it the mission of its then 18,000 clubs and 850,000 members worldwide to wipe out the disease everywhere."
 
--"Rotary and other groups calculate that $1 billion spent per year over the next few years to extinguish the last fugitive strains of polio could save up to $50 billion over the next 20 years..."
 
-- "The Sabin formulation costs less than 20c and can be administered with just two drops. 'You could train people to do this,' says Dr. John Sever, vice chair of Rotary's international antipolio drive. 'If they could count to two, they could be an immunizer.'
 
--"In 2012, WHO dramatically increased its presence in the country, from 744 workers to 2,948. It is also using satellite mapping to reach children in villages that, says John Hewko, general secretary of Rotary International, 'we didn't even know existed.'"
 
--"Rotary, WHO and the other groups had hoped to have halted transmission in all three endemic countries by the end of 2012. Now they acknowledge they will have to continue intensively vaccinating in 2013, especially during the comparatively cool months when the virus is weakest."
 
Read the online article here, read the full story and view the international cover.
 
TIME Magazine – January 13, 2013
India’s successful battle against polio was featured in TIME and positions Rotary as the leader in the global eradication effort (see one excerpt below):
 
-- “Understanding how a country so huge, so diverse and so poor managed to stop polio transmission offers important lessons both for the complicated international effort to eradicate the disease for good and for India’s own health care system. The oral polio vaccine was introduced in India in 1978, a year before the U.S. was declared polio-free. In 1985, Rotary International launched its global effort to end polio everywhere. India was a signatory to the 1988 WHO treaty committing participating nations to be part of that effort.”
 
Click here to read the full story.
 
Wall Street Journal – January 13, 2013
This article reflects on India’s tremendous achievement of two years polio-free and what it means for the country.  Rotary and its partners’ efforts in the fight against polio are recognized. Read the full story here.
 
New York Times – January 11, 2013
This article, which appeared on the India Ink blog of the New York Times website, was written by Ashok Mahajan, a member of the Rotary Club of Mulund, Maharashtra, and a Trustee of The Rotary Foundation. He reflects on India’s milestone of two years polio-free and shares some lessons learned that could be applied to Pakistan.
 
Discover Magazine – Year in Science Issue – January 2013
The story prominently features Rotary and polio eradication as one of the top 100 stories for the publication’s annual “Year in Science” issue. The reporter traveled with a group of Rotary volunteers to India, which resulted in this high-profile placement. You can view the full story here.
  
SET-TV (Taiwan national TV network) – December 7-8, 2012
The Taiwan national TV network traveled to India with a group of Taiwanese Rotarians who volunteered during national polio immunization rounds. The story aired twice. Watch clips here.
 
MBC (Korean national TV network) - November 22, 2012
A TV crew from MBC accompanied a group of Korean Rotary members volunteering during a NID in India.  The network aired a 15-minute piece about their efforts. To watch the video, select 2012-11-22 and scroll to the 12-minute mark. 
 
The Korean Herald – January 7, 2013
Korean pop star and YouTube sensation Psy’s participation in the “This Close” campaign is highlighted.  
 
Social Media
Rotary’s social media channels are continuing to grow with more than 200,000 “likes” on the Rotary Facebook page and 22,000 “likes” on the End Polio Now Facebook page. In addition, we have more than 175,000 followers of Rotary’s Twitter handle and more than 11,000 for the End Polio Now Twitter handle.
 
PhRMA Donation
Rotary International’s innovative campaign to develop the World’s Biggest Commercial to raise public awareness about polio eradication has struck a chord with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). To help spur participation in the commercial, the largest pharmaceutical trade group in the United States has donated $50,000 to Rotary’s PolioPlus program – enough to provide oral vaccine to protect more than 83,000 children against this paralyzing disease. The World’s Biggest Commercial currently has nearly 4,700 photos from more than 115 countries.  Join the commercial today at endpolionow.org.
 
Sincerely,
John Hewko