By now, I’m sure you’ve heard that India just went through an entire year without any new cases of polio, a crippling disease that still haunts the developing world.

To celebrate, we’re asking our ONE members to join us in making some noise for this tremendous achievement. Positive news like this is rare in the world of global health, and we’re not going to let this one slip by.

Please write a message of congratulations to the millions of people — health workers, vaccinators, community and religious leaders, pediatricians and Rotarians — who worked to make India polio-free on End of Polio’s website. Encourage them to keep up the fight and show your support.

Click on the image below to write your message now:

In 2009, India had more cases of polio than anywhere else in the world — and look at them now. It’s amazing what we can do with the right amount of support, resources and encouragement. So, please join End of Polio in acknowledging India’s global health milestone today.

Today, the world marks a milestone in the fight to end polio. India, the place where I was born and contracted the crippling disease as a baby, has gone exactly 12 months without a reported case of polio.

Now as a Rotarian, a Canadian, a polio survivor and a member of our global community, I want to say thank you.

Thank you to the Indian Government for making this goal a reality.

Thank you to Rotary for having the vision of a polio-free world, more than 25 years ago.

Thank you to the partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the millions of volunteers, fundraisers, and people who cared enough to fight polio.

And, thank you to ONE members for keeping the pressure up on world leaders to address preventable global diseases, like polio.

I want to remind you that our work is not complete. I implore all of you to not become complacent in our efforts. The children around the world need all of us to commit to this, and donate time and dollars as together we move forward on our journey in our battle to End Polio Now.

We are truly seeing the power of working together to make the dream of a polio-free world a reality. Dreams can only become real if we dare and never give up!

And the dream is becoming real… an India with no polio. Together, we are truly “this close” to ending polio forever.

Experts have long considered India to be one of the toughest places in the world to fight and eradicate polio. After all, India is neither a small nor homogenous place, and just two years ago, India had 741 cases of polio—the most in the world. How did they achieve this milestone?

• They immunized, and they immunized again: India held two National Immunization Days (NIDs) in 2011, and during each NID, an amazing 2.5 million vaccinators delivered polio vaccines to more than 172 million children. For children who weren’t reached by the NIDs, India organized 7 Sub-National Immunization Days to focus in on more remote and high-risk areas.
• They innovated: Indians didn’t just rely on traditional vaccine education and delivery methods. They met parents and children where they were—at bus stops, in construction sites, on motorbikes. They also fostered pressure and incentives for their health care workers, ensuring accountability and consistency in their delivery program.
• They fought stigma and misconception: Particularly in Muslim sections of India where concerns about vaccines were more common, polio eradication programs engaged religious leaders at all levels to build trust among parents for this safe, effective health intervention.
• They led from within: Though the role of groups including the GPEI partners and the Gates Foundation can’t be overstated, India is a success story because Indians have also stepped up. Since the National Polio Surveillance Project was established in 1997 by the Indian Government and the WHO, the program has grown, become more effective and targeted, and has built a platform that now allows for greater progress on other diseases. Local stakeholders including teachers, religious leaders, and health workers have been on the front lines of the fight. And critically, the Indian government has financed the vast majority of the eradication effort with its own resources—an example for other emerging economies to follow.

And why, as an Africa-focused organization, should we pay so much attention to this achievement? For many in the global health community who often feel like the challenges are endless, this shows that real progress is possible—and not just in the “easy” places. This milestone should rejuvenate global efforts to eradicate polio, including from the last remaining endemic country in Africa (Nigeria) as well as other countries which had once eliminated the disease but have seen a resurgence in recent years (including Angola, Chad, and the DRC). At a time when vaccination rates are on the decline in some regions, each successful immunization campaign—and the press generated around it—also helps to reinforce the safety and value of vaccines for parents around the world. The tactics India used to achieve this goal should also serve as a lesson for other countries and other global health challenges; persistence, innovation, and country ownership are fundamental to effective development programs, and will remain so long after polio is eradicated.

Please join me in congratulating the millions of people who have dedicated time, resources, and political will toward making this a momentous—and happy—Friday the 13^th!

New Hampshire Rotary members with Governor Lynch as he signs World Polio Day Proclamation

Yesterday, Rotary club presidents and ONE members from around the New Hampshire visited with Governor John Lynch as he signed a proclamation to recognize the day as World Polio Day and those who have worked so hard to eradicate the disease.

New Hampshire ONE members Michael and Tom with Governor Lynch at World Polio Day Proclamation event

As ONE members, my colleague Michael and I were able to hear stories of Rotarians who had visited other countries to deliver polio vaccines. Michael and I told the Rotary District governor and many of the club presidents that we have heard similar stories as we visited Rotary clubs around the state sharing information about ONE. We also told the Rotarians about the ongoing advocacy efforts of ONE members to ensure that the US continues to provide global leadership and effective programs in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease. In fact, Michael and I had just attended an event where former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) was filing his paperwork to appear on New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary ballot.

Interestingly, Governor Lynch also told us that two of his kids had participated in efforts to deliver vaccines to children in some of the poorest countries in the world.

After the governor signed the proclamation, Michael and I had an opportunity to share more information about the ONE collaboration with Rotary and thank the governor for this event. We also spoke to him about American Academy of Pediatrics, another ONE partner. Dr. Susan Lynch, the first lady of New Hampshire, is a pediatrician and we are thrilled to be associated with organizations like theirs.

Be sure to connect with other ONE members in New Hampshire on Facebook and Twitter.

-ONE Vote Organizer Tom Leary

Today, countries around the world observe World Polio Day. For the majority of people, including those in the United States, this might raise an eyebrow and a question of, “Polio? Isn’t that disease long gone?”

As a fortunate survivor of polio when I was a teenager, who — decades later — has had to deal with possible physical repercussions that could be related to post polio syndrome, the fact that parents and children don’t live in fear of contracting polio the way they did in my youth is worthy of celebration. It shows just how far we have come in conquering this dreaded disease.

Unfortunately, I also know that polio still strikes children in a few pockets around the world. And, like a wildfire that casts sparks which can ignite new fires, an outbreak of polio could be as close as a plane ride away.

So far this year there have only been 467 cases of polio. This is in comparison to the more than 1,000 children who were struck by this disease every day, when the goal of a polio-free world was established in 1988.

This progress is due to an unprecedented global collaboration of donor governments; the polio-affected countries; technical agencies like the CDC, WHO and UNICEF; and private sector donors like Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Perhaps the most unique component of this effort is the involvement of more than 1 million volunteer members of Rotary clubs in 170 countries around the world. You likely see the Rotary club in your own community—building parks, holding fundraisers, and generally doing admirable work to positively impact local residents and programs. Collectively, they have invested more than $1 billion and countless hours of volunteer service in a polio-free world, and they won’t give up until every country — and every child is free from polio, forever.

So on this World Polio Day, I salute those who have worked for so long to free the world from polio. But I do so while reminding us all of the need to finish the job. We are “This Close,” but this close will never be good enough with a disease like polio.

-Jack Nicklaus

World Polio Day is simultaneously a celebration and a call to action.

It’s a celebration because in the past 20 years, polio cases are down 99 percent, thanks to one of the most ambitious global health campaigns in history. Through a vast partnership, we’ve delivered polio drops to children in impossible circumstances—in active war zones, in remote mountainous regions that are unreachable for months at a time. It’s a great achievement.

But World Polio Day is also a call to action because we haven’t done enough yet. Polio is still paralyzing children. The last one percent is the hardest percent, and we have to do even more than we’ve already done if we hope to finish the job on polio. The day the world is declared polio free is the day we can really begin celebrating.

Some of the things we need more of include strong management, accountability and political commitment in countries where polio is still a threat. The community also needs to think about being increasingly innovative in getting vaccines to children who are not being reached today.

India has exemplified these, and earlier in the year the federal government of Pakistan also stepped up its fight to end polio. President Asif Ali Zardari launched a National Emergency Action Plan for Polio Eradication and is pressing hard for change at many levels to win the fight against polio.

I am optimistic that the necessary support will be forthcoming in other countries. I’ve been talking with a lot of the leaders who must show that commitment, and I believe they’ll do what they say.

In Nigeria, I met with President Goodluck Jonathan, and he made a point of inviting eight of his senior ministers to the meeting so they could hear the promises he was making about polio very clearly. When I travelled to different parts of the country I found it encouraging to witness that same resolve echoed by many leaders.

In Chad, I joined President Idriss Deby Idno to launch a three-day polio campaign. The ministers in attendance brought their own children to be vaccinated, and then President Deby and I vaccinated several children, which is always a thrill for me. When I gave short remarks at the event, the translator walked with crutches because he had been stricken by polio as a boy.

The rest of the world needs to provide financial support to help polio-affected countries run high-quality campaigns. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is taking place next week in Perth, Australia. This meeting will include heads of government in countries where polio is still endemic, such as India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. It will also include heads of government in countries that have been generous donors to polio eradication, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. That generosity must continue.

I am hopeful that additional funding pledges will come out of the meeting in Perth, and that advocates from around the world join the cause, so that leaders like President Jonathan and President Deby can keep their promises.

Ann Lee Hussey, Chris Geer and Leroy P. Crockett

I traveled to Maine last week to meet with an area Rotary International Club and speak about ONE. Earlier this year, ONE and Rotary joined together in a formal collaboration, finding common cause in issue-based education and advocacy. Through the years, Rotary has demonstrated a long commitment to the world’s poorest people and in particular has sought to bring about the eradication of polio in the developing world.

As a result of this collaboration, I joined Tom Leary, from ONE Vote in New Hampshire, to deliver a talk to a local Rotary Club in Scarborough, Maine, located just south of Portland. We were welcomed by club president Leroy P. Crockett as we introduced ONE and the basics of our work and answered many thoughtful questions from club members. Since we started this outreach and have been interacting with local clubs, the invitations to speak have poured in. In fact, Tom had given a similar talk earlier in the day to a Rotary club in Kittery, Maine.

At the meeting in Scarborough, we were also joined by Ann Lee Hussey, a former Rotary District Governor, based in South Berwick, Maine. Ann Lee has led 18 immunization campaigns to countries where polio still threatens children, such as India, Bangladesh, Mali, Niger and Nigeria and is a true champion for those that remain at risk from this disease around the world.

As our collaboration with Rotary becomes more realized, it is exciting to see Rotary’s record of service and a membership core so involved and eager to make a difference in the world. It was great to engage with Rotarians in Maine and I look forward to another opportunity soon.

Earlier this week, the Global Poverty Project launched a new campaign, The End of Polio, with a cute and creative clip with a difference.

Focused on building public support for polio eradication, Global Poverty Project are matching every signature on their petition with the donation of a polio vaccine thanks to the Rotary Club of Crawley.

Polio is a disease which has disabled millions and pulled people further into poverty. It has been reduced by 99% over the past 30 years, thanks to global efforts that have immunised more than 2 billion children against polio, and saved more than 5 million children from life-long paralysis or death. But right now polio eradication work is limited by a US$590 million funding gap.

That’s why, together with the WHO, Rotary and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Poverty Project is calling on World Leaders to commit to fully fund the work of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Such investment in polio eradication is crucial not only because it removes a significant threat to the future of vulnerable children, but also because it can write a story of success that will reinvigorate public support for the life-changing impact of foreign aid programs. In tough economic times, there’s no better way to demonstrate the importance of aid budgets than supporting a tangible and measurable goal like polio eradication.

Join the call for world leaders to commit to polio eradication at www.theendofpolio.com, and for each petition signature a child will be vaccinated through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Michael Sheldrick is the Manager of The End of Polio campaign at the Global Poverty Project.

Watch the talk here: http://www.ted.com/conversations/4332/live_ted_conversation_on_polio.html
It goes from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET, so tune in now!

Tremendous progress has been made towards polio eradication. Polio is endemic in only four countries today, compared to 125 countries in 1988 and since then roughly 2.5 billion children have been vaccinated against polio worldwide. In the same period, the global number of polio cases has been reduced by more than 99 percent, from 350,000 cases a year to under 1000 cases in 2010.

Tune in and be sure to leave any comments or questions you have while watching below or Tweet them directly to me, @RiledupB.

In Nigeria we have made remarkable progress in the fight against polio, with intense campaigns that drove polio down from 388 cases in 2009 to 21 in 2010 — a 95 percent reduction. We are extremely hopeful that these gains continue, although much hard work remains.

This progress is largely due to the immense momentum of our polio campaign, which has demonstrated that immunizations are safe, cost-effective tools to prevent infectious diseases and ultimately save children’s lives. We have seen non-compliance rates for immunizations fall because parents and traditional leaders have witnessed the effectiveness of oral polio vaccines to protect their children from paralysis and death.

The polio program has provided the momentum to combat other vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, that are costing lives of young children. In January, Nigeria launched a major campaign to administer both measles and polio vaccines to 31 million children under five — protecting children from two diseases. And during an upcoming national campaign later this month, health workers at fixed posts around the country will offer children doses of oral polio vaccines — along with an integrated package of other health interventions, including Vitamin A, deworming tablets and other routine immunizations.

From this broad perspective, conquering polio has an impact far beyond the immediate benefits of eradication. Perhaps polio eradication’s most enduring legacy will be that it lays the groundwork for countries like Nigeria to defeat other childhood diseases.

Still, there is significant work to be done. As long as polio exists in Nigeria, it can exist anywhere. To finally finish the job, we must keep up the momentum for mass immunization campaigns. Once Nigeria and the world win the fight against polio, it will inspire us to continue our intense efforts to tackle other pressing health challenges.

The Hausa people, who live in northern Nigeria, have a saying: When you shave a man’s head, it is getting the last hair that is the most difficult. Similarly, the final chapter of polio eradication -– in Nigeria and globally — will require even more effort than the previous ones. We must continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our momentum is sustained — so that we finish the job on polio and build upon that success to protect children from other deadly diseases.

-Dr. Muhammad Pate, executive director of Nigeria’s National Primary Healthcare Development Agency