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Issue #144 March 2014 Our Foundation o the ere’s t “H MERS A Newsletter for Rotary Leaders DREA and S” DOER Do You Think It’s Time? Rotary’s PolioPlus Program worldwide effort to eradicate continues its worldwide effort to polio. The last reported case was eradicate polio and to make the a two-year-old girl in West world a healthier and better Bengal on 13 January 2011. place. India is Polio Free. Since 1988 2.5 Billion children have been The three-year achievement immunized against polio. sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Since 1988 Rotary has Southeast Asia region by the helped to reduce the number World Health Organization. The of Polio-endemic countries Indian government also plans to from 125 to 3. convene a polio summit in In the past 25 years, new February to commemorate this cases of polio have been victory in the global effort to reduced from 350,000 eradicate polio. annually to less than 400 in "We must now stop polio in 2003. Pakistan to both protect Pakistani Polio is Eradicated children and to safeguard our success in India and other in India. countries where we have beaten Throughout India and around this terrible disease," says India the world, Rotary clubs are PolioPlus Committee Chair celebrating a major milestone: Deepak Kapur. "Until polio is India has gone three years finally eradicated globally, all without a new case of polio. This unvaccinated children will remain is a landmark achievement for at risk of infection and paralysis, global public health and the no matter where they live." … continued Our Foundation A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 2 Do you think it’s time? (… continued) What does Ending Polio Rotarians raised $247 Million ? dollars for their rallying and initial Mean to You PolioPlus fund raiser, which was Indian Rotary member Rakesh the first of many fund raisers to Kumar has taken part in nearly follow. Keller’s theme that year was every National Immunization Day in “Rotarians -- United in Service- Indian Rotary member Rakesh Kumar has taken Dedicated to Peace”. part in nearly every National Immunization Day in the last two years. the last two years. Since joining Rotary, he has only At the June 2012 convention in missed one NID and just took part Bangkok R.I. President Sukuji in an NID on January 19, 2014. Tanaka gave us a similar rallying Rotary has been diligently “Every time I take part in an cry (Peace Through Service) and working to eradicate Polio for over 25 immunization campaign I get a Rotarians today are still diligently years and so many recent setbacks different experience and great working towards eradicating polio. are horrendous, are sickening. hospitality from parents and Although the world is close to Rotary will eventually eradicate children.” said Rotarian Kumar. eradicating Polio, recently a rise in polio. It has been suggested by “I am proud to be part of the cases of Polio with civil unrest and some Rotarians that the funding for strife and some funding shortfalls Polio’s Eradication be grouped within have placed a barrier, which is a central fund, which would include blocking certification of eradication. Polio, The Rotary Peace Centers Assassinations, Bullets Initiative, The Annual Fund and The Permanent Fund. and Bombs. Do you Think Polio eradication volunteers are assassinated. The polio eradication it’s Time? project to end polio in the world. I leader, Rotary’s Bob Scott’s life is Do you think it’s time to consider feel proud and happy that my recently threatened with a rifle a different major initiative. If so how country of India was declared polio- pointed at his head*. (*It was to the would we proceed? Could it happen free on January 13, which means belly not the head that the rifle pointed. I through the Council of Legislation? am just glad the unseen holder of the rifle our children will not be crippled by Would it be suggested by one of our polio and can live an independent did not have an itchy finger.”, corrected Scott.) many Rotarian Action Groups? and healthy life.” Perhaps suggested by our Trustees? World Health Organization Since 1988 Rotary’s (WHO) leaders moving the date to I met with RIPP Charles (Chuck) Highest Priority. completely eradicate Polio to 2018 Keller at Rotary’s International and The Center for Disease Control Assembly in San Diego and he It’s 25 years since the 79th RI (CDC) agreeing that our next suggested a solution. Convention in Philadelphia, PA “opportunity” for eradication is 5 USA (May 1988) when RI President years in the future. … continued Charles C. Keller announced that “I am proud to be part of the project to end polio in the world.” Issue #144 A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 3 Do you think it’s time? (… continued) “I believe if Rotary were selecting a new major initiative ..” RIPP Chuck Keller offered, working with WHO and CDC in “My thought is that we need a new health, UNICEF in childhood areas, ‘Grand Project’ to follow within a UNESCO in literacy and education, reasonable time after Polio is and so on.” finished. But keeping in mind that “We could ask them for one the gestation period for Polio was or two suggestions, each, and then about 8 years, I think we need to do from a realistic list, let the Trustees our planning and choosing in and Directors make a choice, advance.” ultimately confirmed by the COL.” R.I. Past President “Keeping in mind the 6 “We were so lucky in Charles (Chuck) Keller areas of focus of TRF, rather than choosing Polio and our review of have the RAGS or other narrowly the history of that choice reminds committed groups pressure us, it is asking our partners for their input me how problematic it was. With my thought that we go to the might be the best direction to take.” that experience, we ought to have a world’s leading authorities in those better process the next time.+ What do you think? areas for suggestions…particularly those who know us best…our “I believe if Rotary were Eddie Blender, abilities and our limitations… and selecting a new ‘Grand Project’ EBlender@ aol.com “Ask our Polio Eradication partners, to help us select a new Grand Project.” Our Foundation A project of Rotary Global History Fellowship Page 4 India in each nationwide polio campaign, 2.3 million vaccinators immunize nearly 172 million children. Detailed micro-plans, intense social mobilization, strict supervision and monitoring, and daily review of the campaigns are undertaken to ensure that the campaigns are/ were of the highest quality. This is a monumental milestone for India, which until 2009 accounted for more than half the world’s polio incidence with 741 cases of polio paralysis. Experts had often believed India would be the last country to stop polio in view of the high population density, hygiene, sanitation and health conditions, which presented major challenges to eliminating the disease. The progress in India is a great credit to the strong commitment of the Government of India, seamless partnership comprising of the Government, Rotary, WHO, UNICEF and the Gates Foundation, and above all the tireless hard work of the millions of frontline workers – the vaccinators, social mobilizers and community and health workers – who continue to implement innovative strategies to KEEP India polio free. Source : END Polio NOW Facebook Page Issue #144 Page 5 A reflection on India’s journey to polio eradication By Deepak Kapur, Chairman of India National PolioPlus Committee In my initial years of service as Chairman of India’s National PolioPlus Committee (INPPC), I kept thinking that every year would be my final year in this area of service - but the virus would just not go away - until now. There have been many highs and lows during this time. The biggest high is not having a polio case since January 13, 2011. It looks like the dream is finally becoming reality. To see India becoming a polio-free country is a health miracle the world has never seen before. It was believed that India would be the last country in the world to eradicate polio, but we proved everyone wrong. Deepak Kapur, Chairman of India National PolioPlus Committee I distinctly recall when I took over as the Chairman of Rotary’s INPPC in 2001, Dr. Bruce Aylward from the World Health Organization called me at 1 o’clock in the morning and briefed me about the polio cases in several cities in India. With only 200 polio cases at that time, everyone thought India would be free of polio very soon. However, that hope crashed with a mini-outbreak of polio cases in Uttar Pradesh in 2002. Our mission continued for 10 more years. With no new polio cases reported for the past three years, India’s success in containing the dreaded virus has been hailed as the biggest public health achievement worldwide. For long, India’s polio story was viewed with contempt and often described as a pipe-dream. India’s story is now seen as one of remarkable leadership and commitment by the country and its people. When Rotary India started out with its dream to eradicate polio from India, we did not know what all it would take to make this possible. Looking back, I now feel that constantly reinventing and revising our strategies as per the need of the hour, along with thinking out of the box made it possible. In the last decade or so, we overcame many challenges to end polio.