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Menlo Park Police Chief - Rotary Mega-Polio Campaign in India
Dave Bertini gave an inspiring presentation on his January 2018 trip to Agra, India as part of Rotary International Mega-Polio Campaign
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Rotary Club of Menlo Park
Angela Schmiede, Public Relations Director
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Menlo Park Police Chief Participates in Rotary Mega-Polio Campaign in India
Menlo Park, California, December 6, 2018 – Dave Bertini, Menlo Park Police Chief, was guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Menlo Park on November 28, 2018, where he gave an inspiring presentation on his January 2018 trip to Agra, India as part of Rotary International’s Mega-Polio Campaign. An active Rotarian, Bertini is past-president of the Rotary Club of Pacifica and has served as assistant district governor for Rotary District 5150.
In partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International’s End Polio Now Campaign has helped immunize over 2.5 billion children to reduce the number of active polio cases in the world to 18 in 2018. The poliovirus is a highly infectious disease, typically spread through contaminated water. Although India has not had an active case of polio in four years, the World Health Organization will declare India to be polio free only if there are no active cases for five years. The goal of the “Keep India Polio Free” campaign is to vaccinate every child five years and younger every year. The vaccine, which consists of two oral drops, is not always effective on the first dose, given the challenge of vaccinating small children.
Bertini traveled with 60 other Rotarians from around the world to participate in the Rotary Club Agra Tajmahal Initiative. The volunteers successfully vaccinated 2,000 children in one day. Funded by Rotary International Polio Plus, the global initiative also helps fund infrastructure for other health care needs such as prenatal care for pregnant women. “Dave Bertini exemplifies the Rotary motto of ‘Service above Self.’ We are proud to have him as a member of the Menlo Park community,” said YuHui Chen, president of the Rotary Club of Menlo Park.
In recognition of World Polio Day, the Rotary Club of Menlo Park raised $2,300 through Rotary’s Polio Walk Initiative. The donation will be tripled by matching funds through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
To learn more about Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio or to make a donation, visit: https://www.endpolio.org/.