The Rotary Club of Arusha (RCA) has joined international efforts to eradicate polio by targeting to raise US$30,000 (about 45m/-) this year.

Speaking in Arusha after a dinner organised to raise money for the purpose at the weekend, Rotary Foundation director Abbas Moledina said RCA with 32 members was targeting to raise the money, as part of complementing global efforts to eradicate polio, which affected more children.

“We are committed to complementing also Tanzania’s government efforts to rescue scores of children, who are at risk of being infected with polio, which is putting the under-five children in the region at risk,” Moledina said.

“But this should not be used as an excuse to stop from immunising our children. People should continue doing so,” he said, calling for more public awareness of the disease especially for those living in rural areas and do not have access to better health services.

Polio is a highly infectious disease, caused by a virus, which invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine and its key symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs.

According to Moledina, Nigeria and Congo are among the countries in Africa with a large number of polio cases.