On the occasion of World Polio Day on 24 October, Rotary International has cautioned against any complacency in efforts towards keeping India free from virus spread. India recorded its last polio case in January 2011 and was officially removed from the list of polio-endemic nations a year later. In the South-east Asia region, India is midway to being certified a polio-free region in 2014, contingent upon the fact that no polio cases are reported till 2014.
Deepak Kapur, Chair of Rotary Internationals India National PolioPlus Committee (INPPC), said, Rotary urged its volunteers to remain up to the mark and continue the campaign against polio since the threat of a rebound still exists due to the risk of virus importation. Multiple challenges still prevail and the threat of spread could be accentuated by complacency, cross-border importation, diminishing funds and the misperception that the polio threat has ceased.
Considering that India has officially eradicated polio, donor and campaign fatigue are natural outcomes that may induce a sense of complacency in activists and officials. But any attempt to drop or dilute preventive measures and safeguards due to financial constraints or other challenges could allow the virus to rebound by importation through an endemic nation. Given this danger, the national immunization campaigns need to be sustained until global eradication is a reality. That is the best way to safeguard the wellbeing of susceptible children against the crippling effects of polio.
Coinciding with World Polio Day, Rotary is ramping up its advocacy work in the 200 countries and regions where Rotary clubs exist to encourage every national government to commit to the funding levels needed to close the gap. The irony is that despite the funding gap, there has never been a more opportune time to finish off polio, with new cases at an all-time low and the wild poliovirus now confined to only a few pockets in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Public health experts say that if the eradication effort stalls now, polio could rebound quickly, potentially paralyzing 250,000 children a year.
Like
Dislike
Be a part of Elets Collaborative Initiatives. Join Us for Upcoming Events and explore business opportunities. Like us on Facebook , connect with us on LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter , Instagram.
