Polio

India celebrates one year polio-free

Jan 13th, 2012 12:02 PM UTC
By Erin Hohlfelder

Friday the 13^th is a day known for superstition, fear, and bad luck.  But today, the global health community in India attained a milestone that will ensure that we remember this Friday the 13^th as a day of progress and hope.  As of today, India has gone an entire year without a case of polio. In technical-speak, this means that India has officially interrupted transmission of the virus and is no longer considered an endemic country, leaving only three countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria) remaining in the world with endemic status.

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!

The End of Polio

Sep 9th, 2011 10:45 AM UTC
By ONE Partners

The following is a guest blog from the Global Poverty Project

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.

We are ‘This close’ to beating polio

Feb 2nd, 2011 6:39 PM UTC
By David Cole

While polio has been reduced by an incredible 99% in the last 20 years, it is not yet entirely eradicated.

In an effort to keep the focus on this crippling disease, a wide array of public figures and personalities have signed on to help Rotary International spread the word. Headed by Bill Gates, the lineup includes Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, movie star Jackie Chan, conservationist Jane Goodall, violinist Itzhak Perlman, Grammy Award winners A.R. Rahman, Angelique Kidjo and Ziggy Marley, golfing great Jack Nicklaus, and Queen Noor of Jordan.

Be a part of the movement to eradicate polio once and for all, and be sure to check out Rotary’s website.

Major new commitments to eradicating polio

Jan 28th, 2011 10:15 PM UTC
By David Cole

At the World Economic Forum in Davos today, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the United Kingdom will double its current contribution to polio eradication. This will see an extra 45 million children fully vaccinated against the disease.

Making the announcement, alongside Bill Gates and Dr Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization, Mr Cameron said:

“I passionately believe that we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rid the world of the evil of polio. We have the vaccines and the tools to do it. All that’s missing is real and sustained political will to see this effort through to the end. That’s why I’m announcing today that the UK is prepared to fully vaccinate an additional 45 million children against polio, through a doubling of our support to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative over the next two years.”

He also called on other donors to follow suit and help consign polio to the history books.

Bill Gates also announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed an additional $102 million to support efforts to stamp out the disease.

Welcoming these commitments Dr Margaret Chan said:

“These new investments come at a critical time in the fight against polio. We have a window of opportunity now, with cases at an all time low. But if there is polio anywhere we are at risk of polio everywhere. Only eradication will ensure that polio does not reemerge as a global threat.”

Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that can damage the nervous system and cause paralysis. It remains endemic in 4 countries – Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan – and there were just under 1,000 cases reported in 2010.

The good news is that vaccines and extensive immunization programmes have had a huge impact with polio cases having been reduced by 99% in the last 20 years. The disease is now close to being only the second in history – after smallpox – to be wiped out.

As Mr Cameron said today:

“We have come so far in eradicating polio. We are so close to delivering a polio-free world for all our children. Let’s finish the job. And let’s eradicate polio once-and-for-all.”

Progress in eradicating polio

Oct 12th, 2010 11:59 AM UTC
By David Cole

Whilst there is no cure for polio – it can be prevented through immunization. And thanks to concerted efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO) and many other leading medical and healthcare institutions, immunization programmes around the world are making a real difference.

Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that can damage the nervous system and cause paralysis. Although vaccines and extensive immunization programmes have been successful in stamping out polio in many parts of the world, it is still prevalent in a number of countries.

According to new figures from WHO, there have been 706 cases globally this year, compared with 1,126 cases at this time last year; 17 countries have reported cases in 2010, compared with 21 at this time last year. In Africa, where outbreaks have occurred in recent years, only Nigeria, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have reported cases in the past 4 years.

In September, Sierra Leone and Liberia came off the active outbreak list (no cases in the past 6 months), but Russia and Turkmenistan were added to the list.

In a speech at the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) Summit in New York last month, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan underlined the strength that comes from innovative partnerships, the critical role civil society plays in ensuring access and accountability and the ongoing need for funding.

By continuing to work together we can eradicate the disease and achieve the MDG goal of combating HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and other diseases like polio.

Polio is unfinished business

Sep 21st, 2010 2:00 PM UTC
By Todd Summers

Polio is one of those diseases that is often unknown to people living in the rich world, especially younger generations. Many of us thought it was gone, and the good news is that it is on its way to being eradicated – just like smallpox.

But at a session during the MDG Summit, we heard that there’s still work to do. Indeed, the speakers pressed hard for the world to not give up when the job is nearly done. “Polio is unfinished business,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, the dynamo head of the World Health Organization. “We must not be complacent or let our guard down.”

I was struck especially by two speakers who came from opposite sides of the world. Faitima Gailani, head of Afghanistan’s Red Crescent Society (affiliated with Red Cross), described how tens of thousands of volunteers work through war and poverty to help get kids vaccinated. She told us that not a week goes by that she isn’t confronted by parents of a child stricken with polio who didn’t know a vaccine was available – and how heartbreaking it is to tell them that there’s nothing to be done. Wow. Just imagine the challenges she and her team encounter.

I was also struck by Jim Lacy, from Rotary International’s polio eradication effort. Here’s an older American business guy from Tennessee who’s totally passionate about finishing the job. Rotary’s been working on polio for over 20 years but says Lacy: “we’re as committed as we’ve ever been.” Count on them to keep the heat on politicians to come up with the money needed.

Expect to hear more from ONE about how you can help finish the job of eradicating polio!

The Final Push? Polio Eradication Effort Receives $635 Million

Jan 22nd, 2009 11:18 AM UTC
By Lisa.Fleisher

The effort to eradicate polio received an influx of $635 million today to intensify vaccination campaigns in India and Nigeria over the next five years. Rotary International, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the governments of Germany and Britain provided this new money for the two countries that account for more than 80 percent of the remaining 1,633 polio cases. This is good news for the polio eradication effort, which has suffered setbacks, but could help polio to join smallpox on the list of eradicated diseases.

Polio has proved to be a challenging disease to eradicate. Polio often lies ‘silent’ in the body, which means that people may not show signs of illness and thus may not know they are infected. The virus can spread widely through a community during this time. Since polio causes paralysis in only 1 of 200 people, public health authorities may not be aware of the infection until it has spread extensively. Also, to successfully eradicate polio, all three strains of the virus must be eliminated. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) uses a vaccine that contains weakened forms of all three strains. This vaccine can successfully immunize people against future exposure to the polio virus and eventually lead to eradication.

Recognizing this potential, in 2005 the G8 committed to contribute $829 million between 2006 and 2008 to the polio eradication effort. Since then, donors have begun to close the financing gap. ONE’s 2008 Data Report describes this progress, and notes that the United States, followed by the UK and Japan have been the largest G8 donors to the GPEI. Hopefully, with this new $635 million donation to the fight against polio, eradication can become a reality.

-Lisa Fleisher