PolioPlus Rotary International Poliost p NOVEMBER 2019 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE NIGERIA NATIONAL POLIOPLUS COMMITTEE Contribute Participate Change 2019 NATIONAL FIELD WORKERS AWARD 2019 WORLD POLIO DAY CELEBRATIONS National Polio Plus Committee: PDG Tunji Funsho - Chairman, PDG Yomi Adewunmi - Vice Chairman, PDG Charles Femi Lawani - Vice Chairman, PDG Kazeem Mustapha - Vice Chairman, PAG Yakubu Ndanusa - Vice Chairman, PDG Obafunso Ogunkeye - Secretary, PAG Remi Bello - Treasurer, PDG Joshua Hassan - PR Adviser, PDG Tolu Omatsola, PDG Ijeoma Okoro, - Representing CRODIGON, END RIVP Yinka Babalola - Special Representative, DG Jide Akeredolu, DG Victor Onukwugha, DG Nze Aninzor, DG Sam Uko POLIO NOW , PolioPlus Rotary International 2 NOVEMBER 2019 Chairman’s Address What a world polio day- Keeping Polio at Zero Phew! What a plethora of ceremony where those who activities we had for the World were the final link in getting the Polio Day 2019! vaccine to the mouth of our c h i l d r e n w e r e p u b l i c l y The world polio day which was recognised and thanked with precisely on the 24th of October t r o p h i e s , p l a q u e s a n d was marked by myriads of certificates. It was also an activities preceding and also opportunity to remember the at following the world polio day least 64 field workers who were itself. By now, we are all familiar killed in the process of getting with the significance of that the vaccine to the children. All DR. TUNJI FUNSHO date. That date was chosen our GPEI partners were present Chairman NNPPC because of the birthday of the and participated in the award in the lead in the number of inventor of the first polio vaccine ceremony. Our Royal fathers; activities registered on the Dr Jonas Salk. The Salk the Shehu of Bama Alhaji, Kyari Rotary website. vaccine; the injectable vaccine Ibn Umar El-Kanemi who is also was named after him. the chairman of the traditional The Nigeria National Polioplus leaders council for polio Committee rounded up its Rotarians across the world eradication, the Mai Kaltungo activities in Lagos with a a planned and executed many Alhaji Saleh Muhammed and concert of comedy, music and programmes to include our four the Emir of Songa Dr. Haliru dance led by our celebrity thematic areas of activities; Ndanusa Yahaya also graced ambassadors Ali Baba, Kate advocacy, awareness creation, the occasion. Henshaw, Sani Danja, Akiin fundraising and field activities. Shuga, Phyno and Timaya. It Rotarians across the country in We had our usual polio road was a fun evening and funds every city painted their town not walk with about a thousand were raised for the polioplus only in red but all imaginable participants which included fund of the Rotary Foundation. colours. r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m government, our GPEI partners; Now that the celebrations are They also rolled out the drums WHO , UNICEF, CDC, GATES over we have to focus on our to celebrate the first world polio FOUNDATION and our in remaining challenges in order to day after Nigeria crossed that country partner SEOF with Sir ensure zero cases of polio in major milestone on the 21st Emeka Offor himself in Nigeria until world certification. August of 3 years without a attendance. We were on major T h e r e i s n o r o o m f o r case of the wild polio virus. Yes, television channels and social complacency. We must we have cause to celebrate media outlets to advocate, redouble our efforts to counter because more than two educate and motivate. any negative perceptions of the decades of hard work fraught vaccination programme, with many challenges has paid At the last count Nigerian advocate for more funding and off. Rotarians had carried out and continue to strengthen routine registered 680 world polio day immunisation and polio We kicked off our activities with activities across the whole of surveillance structures. our annual field workers awards the country. We rank second in in Abuja. A very colourful a tie with the USA behind Brazil PolioPlus Rotary International 3 NOVEMBER 2019 FROM EDITOR'S DESK WHY POLIO I know you have heard it asked beginning and how much progress important things once Polio is gone before, why polio? Why, of all the we have made since the 50s and from our world. diseases in the world ravaging especially since 1988 when we children, does Rotary International started the Polio Eradication Another answer to the question of keep tallying about Polio? Why not Initiative is one way to answer. why Polio, is simply because we can. malaria or measles? Why is it always Before a disease can be targeted for Polio that we keep talking about? eradication it has to fulfill certain Another way to answer is to point to criteria. One, we have to be able to This question doesn't surprise me at the destabilizing effect of one single identify it and diagnose it apart from all. In a way, we are victims of our child with Polio in a family. If that child other infections. Two, it has to own success. All those years ago is lucky to survive, they may require possess no other host or vector when Polio was a ubiquitous specialized care for the rest of their apart from the human being. Three, disease afflicting up to half a million life. Modifications would have to be and most importantly, there has to kids every year, I am sure no one made to their environment to take be a safe and effective vaccine asked this question because the care of their mobility needs. A care against it. There is no way we could impact of Polio wasn't hard to giver may have to be designated to have made the progress we have explain. Everyone knew what it was. wait on them and help to carry them made against Polio if there was no Everyone felt its impact. Everyone from place to place. Polio as a safe and effective vaccine against it. had a friend, a family member or disease doesn't just affect a single Hence we CAN and we WILL close associate who had been individual, it alters the life of the entire eradicate polio. That is why Rotary afflicted by Polio. Everyone was family. and her partners come together affected. All those years ago when during the week of October 24 every the developed world approached Another answer to the question of year to honour the man who made it summer "the Polio season" with why we and our partners are possible. Jonas Salk is the man who trepidation, no one was asking, why focused on Polio for eradication and led the effort to develop the first safe polio? But today, with Rotary and we have refused to be distracted is and effective vaccine against polio her partners having successfully that their is a financial windfall and with that development created reduced Polio to three endemic attached to the eradication of Polio. the possibility that humanity will countries in 2 epidemiologic belts, It is estimated that once we defeat polio. That is why this edition the question is now being asked. If eradicate polio, we can free up over of PolioStop is dedicated to him and people knew where we were when $40 billion in funds that can be made every other person who has made it we started, they wouldn't ask the available for other interventions. feasible and attainable for us to gift question. If we stopped out work Already we can see the importance the next generation of humans a today, we would, in just 10 years of the infrastructure we built to fight world that is polio-free. have as many as 200,000 cases Polio in tackling other diseases such annually. Polio has the ability to as cholera and even ebola. This spread that rapidly. It is our work that infrastructure will continue to exist has kept Polio at bay. People don't but more importantly, more funds see Polio today, that is why they ask, will be available to do other why polio? Taking them to the very SIA CALENDAR 7th - 10th DECEMBER, 2019 IN 20 STATES ROTN. OLUGBENGA OLAYIWOLE Editor PolioStop PolioPlus Rotary International 4 NOVEMBER 2019 NIGERIA POLIO UPDATE: OCTOBER 2019 Two out of Three Wild Poliovirus Strains Eradicated In a historic announcement on World NATIONAL POLIO EMERGENCY effective, and responsible for the Polio Day, an independent commission OPERATIONS CENTRE eradication of over 99% of polio cases of experts concluded that wild poliovirus Key Messages – Global Wild Poliovirus worldwide over the past 30 years. type 3 (WPV3) has been eradicated Type3 (WPV3) Certification worldwide. Following the eradication of · Polio mass immunization smallpox and wild poliovirus type 2, this · The great work being done in campaigns will continue in its current news represents a historic achievement polio eradication in Nigeria has intensity. This is to boost the population for humanity. contributed immensely to the recent immunity and contribute to maintaining global achievement of the eradication of the global status of achieving the “The achievement of polio eradication will the type 3 wild polio virus for which WHO eradication of the type 3 wild polio virus. be a milestone for global health. just issued a global certificate of This will ensure our children and Commitment from partners and eradication. environment are protected against all countries, coupled with innovation, types of the poliovirus.