Two drops at a time, Rotary International has been providing polio vaccine to children in Ethiopia and other countries through its PolioPlus program.

In October, Ballard Rotary member Lori Knuckey and her son Alex joined a group of Rotarians on a journey to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The 65 local Rotarians representing King County and Snohomish County assisted Ethiopian health workers as they gave oral polio vaccine and vitamin A to youngsters, during the country's National Immunization Days last October. Rotary members have visited the country for the last ten years as part of the vaccination program.

The country is commonly referred to as the "Cradle of Humankind." Some of the oldest human remains ever found have been in Ethiopia.

Lori has been a member of the Ballard Rotary six years and is its immediate past president.

Rotary International has been involved in polio eradication since 1979 when it made a five-year commitment to provide medicine to six million kids in the Philippines.

"We decided to eliminate it. We made the decision they needed more help," said Rotarian Bea Clark who went on a past trip to Ethiopia and helped administer 500 inoculations.

Polio, known by its scientific name Poliomyelitis is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. Polio enters the nervous system and paralysis can begin in hours.

Polio can lead to irreversible paralysis, most often in the legs, in one in 200 people. Five to 10 percent die when breathing muscles become paralyzed.

The disease primarily affects children under five years of age. There is no cure for polio, but two drops of vaccine in two stages protects children throughout their life.

Incidents of polio have been reduced 99.8 percent since the Rotary International PolioPlus program started in 1988. The vaccinations have prevented an estimated 500,000 kids from contracting polio.

Before that, 1,000 children a day or 350,000 annually were paralyzed by polio.

Rotary International's goal is to eradicate the polio virus completely.

The Knuckeys did a presentation during a Ballard Rotary meeting on Dec. 19 that included a slide show.

Their pictures showed how one family lived in small house the size of a bedroom without electricity or plumbing.

"There was a bed in the corner, small rugs on the floor and a single row of cabinets for storage. This slice of life was a shock for us. We had never imagined living like they do. No running water, no sanitation," Lori said.

They took pictures of smiling school children, local residents and the countryside.

It was an eye opening experience for Alex a recent Shorewood High School graduate. "The people are great. They are not different than we are. They just live a different lifestyle. They are happy over there," Alex said.

Alex brought two soccer balls on the trip and had a good time kicking the balls around with the children. "It was a blast," he said.

In one touching moment, the Rotarians handed out pencils and pens at a school.

"They are excited over a pencil or a pen. It's amazing, it breaks your heart," said Lori.

"I learned we (Americans) don't need all the material items we have. All we need are family and strength to live and be happy," said Alex.

Lori said her son grew up completely during the trip. "It has changed his whole attitude. Every teenager after graduation should go," she said.

The experience has taught Alex how to appreciate what we as Americans have said Lori.

Word of mouth spread the news of the vaccination sessions and the women brought their newborns to one year old children.

"We had a great turnout. The women trust you. Otherwise they would not be there. Part of the problem is getting their trust," said Lori.

"The feeling is, you know those two drops (of vaccine) will make one small part of their lives easier. It's only two drops. It's a great feeling," Lori said.

Each child will receive two more drops in a year to complete the treatment.

"These women were scared and were not sure what was going on," said Alex.

"The women and newborn babies were waiting patiently for us, so we began distributing those miraculous drops that would relieve those mothers of one of their fears-their children would not be among the thousands that died or became crippled by polio," Lori said.

He said the women had seen pictures of what polio does to people and knew what it does to them.

"They did not want it to happen to their children, so they are willing to take the chance to do it," said Alex.