E-CLUB PROGRAM

PRESIDING TODAY IS: E-Club Advisory Board member, Joe Palumbo

Ding! We’re now in session.

Welcome all – Visitors, fellow Rotarians and guests alike to this E-Club program!

Four-Way Test

At the beginning of each meeting we remind ourselves of the The Four-Way Test. Therefore, please remember to ask yourself always . . .

Of the things we think, say or do:

Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Reflective Moments

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can. ”

– John Wesley, 18th century theologian and evangelist

Light Moments

(in honor of the last full month of winter), from http://mytowntutors.com/2017/11/winter-jokes/

Q: How do snowmen travel around?

A: By icicle!

Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast?

A: Frosted flakes!

Q: Where do snowmen keep their money?

A: They keep cold cash in a snowbank.

Q: What do snowmen like to do on the weekends?

A: Chill out!

Program: Acute Flaccid Myelitis –
A Concerning Polio-like Illness

(Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

As Rotarians, we are all aware of the amazing work that has been done to nearly eradicate Polio across the globe. This just cause has received many accolades and has helped countless young lives. Furthermore, having continued vigilance is one of the key traits in the oath that we recite as we open each meeting with our Four-Way Test. We need to continue to believe in the work that we do, despite all of the obstacles that may come our way.

One recent piece of news that caught my attention was related to the uptick in Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) across the U.S. This polio-like illness is a rare but serious condition which affects the nervous system and causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak. Though it is not a new disease, the number of AFM cases reported since 2014 has grown and impacts mostly young children.

In 2018, there were 158 confirmed cases of AFM, where individuals in 36 states across the U.S. are now sick with the illness, leading to difficulty breathing, slurred speech and, in serious cases, paralysis.

The current count of confirmed cases now exceeds that of 2016, when 149 people were confirmed to have the illness.

The risk of getting AFM contrasts by age and year per the CDC, who further estimate that less than one to two in a million children in the United States will get AFM every year. Studies have shown that since 2014, many patients had a mild respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before they developed AFM. Even more notable is that some of the AFM patients who submitted stool specimens actually tested negative for the poliovirus.

One final note of interest, the mountain state of West Virginia, along with Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Oregon, Idaho have not reported any confirmed cases of AFM as of February 1, 2019, per this snapshot from the CDC website:

There are multiple sources to learn more about AFM. Here are just a few:

https://www.cdc.gov/acute-flaccid-myelitis/afm-cases.html

https://www.raredr.com/news/research-shows-emerging-need-afm-prevention-treatment

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-child-after-diganosis-poliolike-condition-afm-condition-20181018-story.html

For those interested in researching more about Polio, Jeffrey Kluger shares a riveting story about how polio consumed the public mood in the early-to-mid 20th century and about the scientific work to eradicate it in his book “Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio”.