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Update on World Polio Day Alison Driscoll, our district’s Polio Plus coordinator, visited us last week update us on the current and future efforts of this worthwhile programme. A document that summarises the facts she spoke about reads as follows: In three weeks’ time the whole Rotary world and all those working towards the eradication of polio will mark World Polio Day. I am writing to encourage you to mark this day as well, taking time to reflect on progress to date - a 99.9% reduction in cases worldwide - but also on the need for continued support and funding. Please consider some type of fundraising to mark the day - perhaps your Sergeant’s fines that week could go to polio, a special raffle, a surcharge on your meal, a special fundraising project? Rotarians are innovative fundraisers and I am confident you will find a way to support the cause. District-wide we are still planning on a movie fundraiser this Rotary year. Scheduling difficulties meant the movie that had been considered for this month has not happened. There will be more information as we find an alternative. It is timely with World Polio Day approaching to update you on the current situation, where there is good news and not-so-good news. You may already be aware that Nigeria clocked up three years without a wild polio case in August. This means that Africa has now been polio free for three years, a marvellous achievement. So that is the good news. What is a little less heartening is the increased numbers of wild polio cases in the two remaining endemic countries. Cases now stand at 82 as at 26 September. The two remaining endemic countries are Pakistan and Afghanistan. The bulk of the increase in numbers this year has been in Pakistan which now has 66 cases this year. Afghanistan is sitting at 16. Much of the increase in Pakistan is attributable to increased anti-vaccination propaganda. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has recently said: The negative impact on the programme of the anti-vaccine propaganda and rumours was most visibly seen during a recent vaccination campaign in Peshawar. During a National Immunization Days (NID) campaign, a rumour that the polio vaccination could make children unwell, led to more than 37,000 children rushed to hospital in one day, a basic health unit set on fire, and indirectly the death of several vaccinators and security staff. This coordinated scare tactic had a devastating impact on the NIDs and will continue to impact future immunization efforts in this country. Obviously much work is being done to counteract this propaganda and continue to work in vaccinating children across Pakistan. Alison encouraged us to keep up our good work in supporting the End Polio programme, despite the difficulties in Pakistan, as the end is in sight and we cannot afford to stop now after so much has been achieved. |
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