Some area hospital workers paid $2 a piece on Friday to get their pinky fingers painted purple.
Two rotary clubs, held the event at Tyrone Hospital to raise funds for polio vaccines.
Polio is a paralyzing and potentially fatal disease, that’s still a threat in some countries. Rotary members hold vaccine drives there and paint a child’s finger after the immunization to show who’s been taken care of. Kelly Wike has gone on several of these missions.
She says, “There are only ten cases this year so far which is down considerably from just last year and the year before, but it’s only a plane ride away. If the wrong person gets on a plane and comes to the US, we could have a major outbreak, so we need to get rid of it completely.”
Rotary estimates that will take $1.5 billion. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged a match of $2 for every dollar raised by Rotary. Next Tuesday, October 24 is World Polio Day.
To find out how you can help, go to endpolio.org.