Polio free Africa |01 September 2020
The World Health Organisation on August 25, 2020 announced that transmission of the wild poliovirus has officially been stopped in all 47 countries of its African region.
This is a historic and vital step toward global eradication of polio, which is Rotary’s top priority. Rotary members around the world have contributed nearly US $890 million toward polio eradication efforts in the African region. The funds have allowed Rotary to issue PolioPlus grants to fund polio surveillance, transportation, awareness campaigns, and National Immunisation Days.
After decades of hard won gains in the region, Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) - World Health Organisation (WHO), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the vaccine alliance - are proclaiming the milestone an achievement in public health. They offer it as proof that strong commitment, coordination, and perseverance can rid the world of polio.
Since 1996, countless Rotary members from across Africa and around the world have raised funds, immunised children, and promoted vaccinations.
The certification that the African region is free of wild poliovirus comes after the independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) conducted thorough field verifications that confirmed no new cases and analysed documentation of polio surveillance, immunisation, and laboratory capacity by Cameroon, Central African Republic, Nigeria, and South Sudan. The commission had already accepted the documentation of the other 43 countries in the region.
Now that the African region is free of wild poliovirus, five of WHO’s six regions, representing more than 90 percent of the world’s population, are now free of the disease.
Polio caused by the wild virus is still endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region.
The African region’s wild polio-free certification was celebrated during a livestream event. Speakers included Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Bill Gates, Rotary International president Holger Knaack, Nigeria PolioPlus chair Dr Tunji Funsho, and representatives of other GPEI partners. The celebration was followed by a press conference.
In the programme, Rotary International president Knaack spoke about people needing good news during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “The challenges ahead are formidable,” Mr Knaack said. “That’s why we must recognise this great achievement and commend all the people who played important roles in reaching this milestone. It took tremendous effort over many years.”
To eradicate polio, multiple high-quality immunisation campaigns must continue to be given priority. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s necessary to keep children vaccinated against polio while also protecting health workers from Covid-19 and making sure they don’t contribute to its transmission.
As Mr Knaack, president of Rotary International said, “This is a big step in our journey to a polio-free world, but the fight is not over yet. We still need the support of our Rotary members, donors, and heroic effort of health care workers to finish the job.”
S. Rajasundaram
Immediate Past District Governor (from Rotary Club of Victoria)
Rotary District 9220 (2019-20)
Seychelles