Mike McGovern, RI’s Polio Guru, To Be in Bridgton on May 29th
Mike McGovern, RI’s leader of Polio Plus, its global polio eradication program, will come to Bridgton on Thursday, May 29th, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Hosted by the Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club, Mike will discuss the significant strides made in polio eradication, as well as the challenges that remain as the world edges closer to eliminating this disease. The program followed by light refreshments is open to the public as well as Rotarians and their families. The event location is Highland Lake Resort, 125 N. High Street, Bridgton, ME. Please join us!
Since 1985, as many of you know, Rotary International has been at the forefront of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, achieving a 99.9% reduction in global polio cases. Poliovirus, a highly contagious disease transmitted through airborne droplets and contact with fecal matter, once affected millions worldwide. Prominent polio survivors include President Franklin D. Roosevelt and violinist Itzhak Perlman.
Mike McGovern, a Mainer and member of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club, has an impressive background. After dedicating 31 years to public service with the Town of Cape Elizabeth, he retired as Town Manager in 2016. Since October 2014, he has served as Chair of Rotary International’s PolioPlus Committee, leading Rotary’s largest global humanitarian effort. Since the project’s inception, Rotary has contributed over $2 billion toward polio eradication and works in partnership with organizations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, USAID, and the Gates Foundation. These efforts have reduced the number of polio-endemic countries from 125 in 1988 to just two today. Notably, the Gates Foundation matches Rotary’s annual contributions at a 2-to-1 ratio.
“We are very close,” stated Rotarian Julianne Forbes, ND, a polio survivor and host of the event. A member of the Bridgton-Lake Region club and Assistant Governor for the Bethel, Bridgton, Fryeburg, Oxford Hills and Rumford clubs, Julie continued “In recent years, only Afghanistan and Pakistan have reported cases of live polio. However, a case detected in the U.S. last year is a stark reminder that polio remains just a plane ride away. This case was determined to have originated in Pakistan, according to the USAID lab tracking system. But numerous mighty challenges are being presented as the US role changes. We are all eager to hear Mike’s insights.”