,,iii ,calendar ,no4 #cjb #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #bgj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,october #af1 #bjac,mr4 ,kirk 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,cochran1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,boozman1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,begich1 ,mr4 ,isakson1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,mrs4 ,boxer1 ,ms4 ,ayotte1 ,mr4 ,coons1 and ,ms4 ,collins7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,february #d1 #bjad,reported by ,mr4 ,menendez1 without amendment ,,resolution ,supporting the goals and ideals of ,world ,polio ,day and commending the international community and others for their efforts to prevent and eradicate polio4 ,whereas ,october #bdth of each year is recognized internationally as ,world ,polio ,day2 ,whereas polio is a highly infectious disease that primarily affects children and for which there is no known cure2 ,whereas polio can leave survivors permanently disabled from muscle paralysis of the limbs and occasionally leads to a particularly difficult death through paralysis of respiratory muscles2 ,whereas polio was once one of the most dreaded diseases in the ,united ,states1 killing thousands of people annually in the late #aith and early #bjth centuries and leaving thousands more with permanent disabilities1 including the #cbnd ,president of the ,united ,states1 ,franklin ,delano ,roosevelt2 ,whereas severe polio outbreaks in the #aidjs and #aiejs caused panic in the ,united ,states1 as parents kept children indoors1 public health officials quarantined infected individuals1 and the ,federal ,government restricted commerce and travel2 ,whereas #aieb was the peak of the polio epidemic in the ,united ,states1 with more than #eg1jjj people affected1 #ba1jjj of whom were paralyzed and #c1jjj of whom died2 ,whereas safe and effective polio vaccines1 including the inactivated polio vaccine 7commonly known as 8,,ipv071 developed in #aieb by ,jonas ,salk1 and the oral polio vaccine 7commonly known as 8,,opv071 developed in #aieg by ,albert ,sabin1 rendered polio preventable and contributed to the rapid decline of the incidence of polio in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas1 although the ,united ,states has been free from polio since #aigi1 this preventable disease still needlessly lays victim to children and adults in several countries where challenges1 such as active conflict and lack of infrastructure1 impede access to vaccines2 ,whereas the ,federal ,government is the leading public sector donor to the ,global ,polio ,eradication ,initiative and provides technical and operational leadership to this global effort through the work of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development2 ,whereas the eradication of polio is the highest priority of ,rotary ,international1 a global association founded in #aije in ,chicago1 ,illinois1 that is now headquartered in ,evanston1 ,illinois1 and has more than #a1bjj1jjj members in more than #agj countries2 ,whereas ,rotary ,international and its members 7commonly known as 8,rotarians07 have contributed more than #a1jjj1jjj1jjj to1 and volunteered countless hours in1 the global fight against polio2 ,whereas ,rotary ,international1 the ,world ,health ,organization1 the ,united ,states ,government1 the ,united ,nations ,children's ,fund 7commonly known as 8,,unicef071 the ,bill and ,melinda ,gates ,foundation1 and the ,united ,nations ,foundation have joined together with national governments to successfully reduce cases of polio by more than #ii percent since #aihh1 from more than #cej1jjj reported cases in #aihh to #bbc reported cases in #bjab2 ,whereas polio was recently eliminated in ,india and is now endemic only in ,nigeria1 ,pakistan1 and ,afghanistan2 ,whereas terrorist and militant groups continue to target and murder health care workers who seek to save the lives of children2 ,whereas the sanctity and neutrality of health care workers must be respected1 as these workers deliver the most basic of life-saving interventions to children and communities2 ,whereas the recent polio outbreak in the ,horn of ,africa1 comprising ,somalia1 ,ethiopia1 and ,kenya1 continues to result in new cases of the disease1 exacerbating the protracted humanitarian crisis in the region and highlighting the urgent need to finally eradicate polio before progress is lost2 ,whereas countries around the world are placing an unprecedented emphasis on polio eradication1 including by implementing ,emergency ,action ,plans to boost vaccination coverage in ,nigeria1 ,pakistan1 and ,afghanistan2 ,whereas the ,global ,polio ,eradication ,initiative has developed the ,polio ,eradication and ,endgame ,strategic ,plan #bjac-bjah 7referred to in this preamble as the ,endgame ,strategy7 to capitalize on the opportunity to eradicate all polio disease2 ,whereas the ,endgame ,strategy also outlines a legacy planning process to ensure that lessons learned in the effort to eradicate polio1 as well as the assets and infrastructure built in support of that effort1 are transitioned to benefit other development goals and global health priorities1 including the continued delivery of health services to the most vulnerable children in the world2 ,whereas the global effort to eradicate polio is the largest internationally coordinated public health effort in history1 with a network of over #bj1jjj1jjj volunteers worldwide2 and ,whereas the eradication of polio is imminently achievable and will be a victory shared by all of humanity3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 supports the goals and ideals of ,world ,polio ,day2 7#b7 commends the international community and others for their efforts in vaccinating children around the world against polio and for the tremendous strides made toward eradicating the disease2 7#c7 encourages and supports the international community of governments and nongovernmental organizations in remaining committed to the eradication of polio2 7#d7 condemns the deplorable actions of terrorist and militant groups that murder innocent health care workers who are striving to save the lives of children around the world2 7#e7 urges the international community of governments to strengthen the support and security protection of health care workers who risk their lives to provide polio vaccinations2 and 7#f7 encourages continued commitment and funding by the ,united ,states ,government and international donors to the global effort to rid the world of polio4 ,february #d1 #bjad,reported without amendment