You would be forgiven if, in view of some other matters taking precedence in the media over the last few days, you might have missed this.
The Governor of New York has declared a State of Emergency, in response to the Polio virus having been discovered in waste water, both in New York as well as in four neighboring counties.
In 1979, Rotary International launched the fight against Polio. In 1985, Polio Plus was launched, with the aim of eradicating this terrible disease, mostly affecting children. Since then, billions of dollars have been spent, and millions of volunteer hours have been expended to apply Polio vaccines throughout the world. The result: from a count of about 350,000 cases EVERY year, vaccination has largely eliminated Polio in almost all countries, with the exception of some remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where access to the people distributing and applying the vaccines is, sadly, severely restricted. Until now.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.