Polio Eradication Blog

As part of World Immunization Week activities, April 20 – 26 2013, more than 75 members of Rotary International from Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina visited CDC’s Roybal Campus on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 to celebrate Polio Day.

I had the privilege of accompanying a group of Rotarians as they toured the CDC Museum, polio laboratory, and Emergency Operations Center. During the event, I spoke with Charlie Augello, a member of the Dunwoody Rotary Club, and his wife Anita, who settled in Atlanta after living all over the East Coast. Mr. Augello remarked, “It has been awakening to visit CDC and meet the talented and dedicated CDC staff who are contributing to global polio eradication efforts. I have a much better appreciation of the work that is being done at CDC and around the world.”

I have been home for several days now, decompressing and reflecting on what we have accomplished during our polio immunization team’s trip to Nigeria. It seems like so long ago that the idea of organizing a trip to Nigeria was first conceived. 

Actually, it was a long time ago – we had just come back from our India NID trip and someone said “where are you going next year?”

So I began the process of establishing relationships among Rotarians in Nigeria to bring this idea to reality. In this process I worked with some wonderful Nigerian Rotarians to put together a program focused on the second round National Polio Immunization Days in the southeastern part of Nigeria corresponding to Rotary District 9140. In addition to the End Polio Now activities we were to be visiting Rotary projects in the district.

Once the word got out through our District 6440 website, the PolioPlus office at Rotary International, ROTA (Reach Out To Africa), and social media (primarily LinkedIn), interest in joining our team began to grow. Our final team consisted of 11 Rotarians and guests from the United States and Sweden.

What a great group! We shared a life-changing experience together in more ways than one. What we did changed the lives of the Nigerian children and mothers who saw foreigners coming to their country to place two drops of life-saving vaccine in the mouths of children.

What we did changed the lives of local Rotarians striving to make their communities better and now know that they have the support and understanding of Rotarians from outside of Nigeria.

And what we did changed our lives forever. What we saw and what we did are indelibly etched in our minds, hearts, and souls. I believe that we are all better Rotarians and better human beings for this experience. And those benefits are priceless!

And, to be sure, Nigeria is “This Close” to eradicating polio – and we are proud to be part of that.

Reposted with permission from the blog Rotary Polio Immunization Mission to Nigeria 2013. Read daily posts about the trip on their blog.

• Be part of the effort to make the World’s Biggest Commercial
• Learn more about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio.
• Find ways you can help Rotary advocate for a polio free world in Global Outlook
• Contribute to help End Polio Now

My brother-in-law is very enthusiastic about Rotary’s “This Close” campaign. It is a really exciting collaboration of people.

A few weeks ago, I promised him I would take 100 photos of people for the World’s Biggest Commercial. It would be my gift to him, and a challenging goal for me to strive for in the new year.

On a rare spring-like day recently in the middle of winter, I set out with my camera on the streets of Evanston as everyone and their cousins were out enjoying the unbelievable weather. I started with my neighbors.

Not many people are comfortable in front of a camera. But with a simple explanation of what I was doing, I was able to share with acquaintances and complete strangers the incredible news that thanks to the hard work of Rotarians, we are This Close to eradicating polio. That was enough to convince everyone I asked to allow me to snap their pictures for the commercial. Plus, it is awfully cool to be in the World’s Biggest Commercial.

People would ask me about Rotary. What I found very interesting was that many of the older people I talked to had a personal experience with polio. They beamed to learn that polio cases were diminishing. Many people hadn’t heard of Rotary and were intrigued by the organization. A dance instructor at my daughter’s ballet school shared that her father was a member of a Rotary club in Iowa. Another teacher at our elementary school told me that her daughter went to Africa with Rotary to administer polio vaccines.

I was so moved by the willingness of people to participate in the effort to create The World’s Biggest Commercial. Won’t you join us? I know I plan to carry my camera with me for a while.

• Be part of the effort to make the World’s Biggest Commercial
• Learn more about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio.
• For Rotary’s anniversary 23 February, find ways you can help Rotary advocate for a polio free world in Global Outlook
• Contribute to help End Polio Now

Pulmão de Aço (Iron Lung), published this year in Brazil, tells the story of Eliana Zagui, a polio survivor who has lived for decades in a hospital in Brazil.

Before it was eradicated through the effort of massive immunization campaigns in 1989, poliomyelitis was prevalent in Brazil. The lack of vaccine and poor sanitation in small towns resulted in thousands of victims a year. Avoiding polio was often a matter of luck.

In January 1976, at the age of two, my luck ran out. I woke up with a fever and weak lower limbs. Although my parents were used to my recurrent episodes of sore throat, they brought me to the nearest city of Jaboticabal for medical treatment. The next day, lacking a diagnosis, I was sent to Ribeirão Preto, a larger city with better medical facilities. By the time the doctors came to the conclusion that I had contracted polio, the virus had already started its devastating muscular paralysis process.

We lived in Guariba near São Paulo, more than 180 miles from the major polio treatment center in Brazil. Getting to the ‘Hospital das Clínicas’ in São Paulo was a struggle. But after several hours, we received a ride from a charitable individual. By that time, I was already paralyzed from my neck down, and my breathing was restricted by the paralysis of my diaphragm.

I was placed in an iron lung a number of times in an attempt to reverse the respiratory failure, but eventually the doctors concluded the battle was lost. I was tracheotomized and connected to an artificial respirator. More than 36 years later, I still depend on the artificial respirator to breathe.

I have lived the rest of my life at the same ‘Hospital das Clínicas.’ Out of  hundreds of children admitted to the hospital in the ‘60s and ‘70s, seven of us formed a family, and developed bonds with the doctors and nurses who looked after us. Five of our family died in the ‘80s, and now only Paulo Henrique Machado and I remain. We still share a room in the Intensive Care Unit.

It was in that room that Paulo and I learned how to read and write. While Paulo has limited hand movements, I can only move my neck and head. Everything I can do with some autonomy has to be done with my mouth. That includes my paintings, which are sold around the world through an association.

The story of how Paulo and I survived polio and how, for decades, we have lived almost completely paralyzed at Hospital das Clínicas is told in the book Pulmão de Aço (Iron Lung), published this year in Brazil by Belaletra Editora

• Learn more about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio.
• Be part of the effort to make the World’s Biggest Commercial  at www.endpolionow.org
• Contribute to help End Polio Now.
• Read more blog posts from polio survivors

Through innovative use of technology and new mapping techniques, more children will be able to receive polio immunizations. By increasing the immunization rate, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative will be able to provide greater protection from polio and eradicate this crippling disease.

“The measurement systems put in place by the eradication initiative will be invaluable for other health care activities, including routine vaccination of infants, which means the legacy of polio eradication will live beyond stopping a disease that once paralyzed over 400,000 children every year,” Bill Gates, Co-chair, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The same morning, Mr. Gates appeared on the NBC Today show to talk about the work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  During the interview, Mr. Gates said that the Foundation’s vaccine effort has contributed to eradicating polio around the world, and mentioned Rotary’s website [endpolio.org] as a good place to make a donation to the cause.

Mr. Gates also praised Rotary and the work of Rotarians in the fight to end polio in his speech at the Royal Institution to honor Richard Dimbleby on 29 January in London. He said: “Rotarians pledge to put service above self, their motto, but they have no specific global health mandate. They are not polio experts. They are regular people who go to work and spend time with their families. For three decades, they have also spent time advocating for polio eradication, raising money to support vaccination, and giving kids polio drops all over the world.”

Read the letter and share your voice in the fight to end polio. 

The last several weeks have been exciting for Rotary and polio eradication, and we’ve seen significant Rotary recognition in news media around the globe -- including a cover story on the international edition of TIME Magazine.

Here are some of the important feature stories you can share and news about a new contribution to PolioPlus from PhRMA, the pharmaceutical trade organization, enabling Rotary to save even more children from polio by participating in the World’s Biggest Commercial. If you haven’t already, please join today at www.endpolionow.org. We have received more than 5,000 photos from over 115 countries. 

TIME Magazine – January 13, 2013

India’s successful battle against polio was featured in TIME and features Rotary as the leader in the global eradication effort (see one excerpt below): 

--"A lot of the progress that's been made so far is due to the efforts of Rotary International, which in 1979- the year polio was declared eradicated in the U.S.- decided to make it the mission of its then 18,000 clubs and 850,000 members worldwide to wipe out the disease everywhere."

--"Rotary and other groups calculate that $1 billion spent per year over the next few years to extinguish the last fugitive strains of polio could save up to $50 billion over the next 20 years..."

-- "The Sabin formulation costs less than 20c and can be administered with just two drops. 'You could train people to do this,' says Dr. John Sever, vice chair of Rotary's international antipolio drive. 'If they could count to two, they could be an immunizer.'

--"In 2012, WHO dramatically increased its presence in the country, from 744 workers to 2,948. It is also using satellite mapping to reach children in villages that, says John Hewko, general secretary of Rotary International, 'we didn't even know existed.'"

--"Rotary, WHO and the other groups had hoped to have halted transmission in all three endemic countries by the end of 2012. Now they acknowledge they will have to continue intensively vaccinating in 2013, especially during the comparatively cool months when the virus is weakest."

New York Times – January 11, 2013

This article, which appeared on the India Ink blog of the New York Times website, was written by Ashok Mahajan, a member of the Rotary Club of Mulund, Maharashtra, and a Trustee of The Rotary Foundation.  He reflects on India’s milestone of two years polio-free and shares some lessons learned that could be applied to Pakistan. 

TIME Magazine – January 13, 2013

India’s successful battle against polio was featured in TIME and features Rotary as the leader in the global eradication effort (see one excerpt below): 

-- “Understanding how a country so huge, so diverse and so poor managed to stop polio transmission offers important lessons both for the complicated international effort to eradicate the disease for good and for India’s own health care system. The oral polio vaccine was introduced in India in 1978, a year before the U.S. was declared polio-free. In 1985, Rotary International launched its global effort to end polio everywhere. India was a signatory to the 1988 WHO treaty committing participating nations to be part of that effort.”

Click here to read the full story. 

Wall Street Journal – January 13, 2013

This article reflects on India’s tremendous achievement of two years polio-free and what it means for the country.  Read the full story here. 

DiscoveR Magazine – Year in Science Issue – January 2013

The story prominently features Rotary and polio eradication as one of the top 100 stories for the publication’s annual “Year in Science” issue. The reporter traveled with a group of Rotary volunteers to India, which resulted in this high-profile placement. You can view the full story here.

SET-TV (Taiwan national TV network) – December 7-8, 2012

The Taiwan national TV network traveled to India with a group of Taiwanese Rotarians who volunteered during national polio immunization rounds. The story aired twice. Watch clips here.

MBC (Korean national TV network) - November 22, 2012

The Korean Herald – January 7, 2013

Korean pop star and YouTube sensation Psy’s participation in the “This Close” campaign is highlighted. 

PhRMA Donation

Rotary International’s innovative campaign to develop the World’s Biggest Commercial to raise public awareness about polio eradication has struck a chord with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). To help spur participation in the commercial, the largest pharmaceutical trade group in the United States has donated $50,000 to Rotary’s PolioPlus program – enough to provide oral vaccine to protect more than 83,000 children against this paralyzing disease. The World’s Biggest Commercial currently has more than 5,000 photos from more than 115 countries.  Join the commercial today at endpolionow.org. 

• Learn more about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio.
• Be part of the effort to make the World’s Biggest Commercial  at www.endpolionow.org
• Contribute to help End Polio Now.

This month, around the second anniversary of India going polio-free, I traveled to southern India to meet my biological father for the first time. Rotary International also arranged for me to meet another special person, Rukhsar Khatoon, who at 13-months of age, contracted the last reported case of polio in India in 2011.

Ever since the polio vaccine became available in 1955, there have been many “lasts” on various continents: a child in Peru in 1991 contracted the last case of polio in the Americas; a child in Cambodia in 1997 had the last case reported in the Pacific region; and Turkey in 1998 reported the last case in Europe.

Anticipation

On the flight from Canada, I was excited to meet young Rukhsar, one polio survivor to another. It took five flights to reach Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, where I was warmly welcomed by Rotarian Rajkumar Rajgaria, one of the millions who have put so much time, energy, and money into a polio-free world. Raj and I joined another dedicated member of the RI PolioPlus staff, Nima, and we drove over an hour to the outskirts of the city.

There concrete gave way to open space, a place beyond which no four-wheel vehicle could go. I was asked to make myself comfortable on the second seat of a motorcycle. I was full of emotion – excitement, nervousness, fear of falling – as I faced my first ever motorcycle ride. But I knew the benefits outweighed the risks, so we pushed on through paddy fields, over small river streams, and by clusters of small shanty houses some distance from one another.

The motorcycle finally came to a stop 20 minutes later before a small pond with a few thatched houses around it. Rukhsar lives in a two-room structure with her parents and two brothers. Within no time, the little courtyard was brimming with people – neighbors, passersby, media.

I took my seat on a plastic chair and Rukhsar sat on my lap, while I talked to her father about her paralysis and its onset. He shared how the flaccidness in her limb began and got worse, her struggle with fever, and how doctors confirmed it was polio. He and his wife had felt helpless and hopeless. I told him my story, showed him my leg brace, and assured him of the possibilities for his daughter, even with polio paralysis. He shared how, after constant visits from Rotarians, he is now part of polio awareness efforts in his village and he uses Rukhsar’s story to convince families reluctant to get their children vaccinated.

Wide-eyed, Rukhsar soaked in the attention with bewilderment. Had she been a bit older, I would have shared my story with her. But after a few minutes, Rukhsar left me unceremoniously to return to her mother. I could see that her polio-affected leg was less scarred than many of us and that she was not yet dependent on a crutch and wasn’t even crawling. I hoped and prayed the after-effects of the paralysis, which get worse with age, will be less severe for her.

Keeping vigilant

After most of the media left, I convinced Rukhsar and her mother to walk toward the pond, leaving the crowd behind. Rukhsar perched on a log with her mother and I, posing for pictures, as we collectively congratulated India on going two years without another reported case of polio. Tucked to her mother’s side, she remained unperturbed as she stood there receiving the attention, before finally looking at the camera innocently as if to say ‘enough.’ So we let her be.

It is up to us to ensure Rukhsar remains the last case in India. India needs to go one more year without a reported case to be certified polio-free by the World Health Organization (WHO). This calls for vigilance and continued devotion to the cause.

On my return journey, I could not help but think about the significance of this young child, who could serve to strengthen the resolve of the global community and the partners in polio eradication, to push on for a polio-free world even while facing challenges in Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. I left Kolkata hoping there will soon be a Rukhsar in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, and in Nigeria. And finally, a “last” for the entire earth.

• Learn more about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio.
• Be part of the effort to make the World’s Biggest Commercial  atwww.endpolionow.org
• Contribute to help End Polio Now.

I was in Abuja, Nigeria, last month as part of a team taking part in National Immunization Days (NID). I danced with nurses at lunchtime. I had lots of fun. I did not want to leave.

The entire team met committed doctors, saw lots of polio victims (mostly children), and took many photos. Experience has shown that by aiding polio victims from the local infected communities, Rotarians help the families become the best advocates for polio immunization.  

With this in mind, Indian Rotarians sent a medical team of physicians and other support, all working for free to perform polio-corrective surgery on children. The goal was 300 children, but the actual number was more than 500. These Rotarians put in long, long hours. The Nigerian government provided facilities at two hospitals in a MASH type environment. All services and costs were keep to an absolute minimum. These children would not have received such care without the substantial support of Rotary. The Indian doctors were also training their Nigerian counterparts.

Last year, I also took part in a NID trip to India. Comparing the two, many things were the same. The Rotarians, healthcare workers and government workers were equally committed and hard working. But there were some important differences. In India, mothers seemed to be dragging their kids to us for vaccination. In Nigeria, we were generally accepted, but a significant number of people refused to allow their kids to be immunized. I was told that, they thought, the vaccinations were a plot to sterilize their children. It is a very big problem.

Sadly, while there, we learned that there was a polio victim in Abuja. Statistically, that means there are 200 other people who caught the virus and may not know it. The area needs to be flooded with vaccine.

I observed the seriousness of the Nigerian response. The government, Nigerian Rotarians and others jumped into action. Many of our fellow Rotarians are volunteering four days or  more a month. They could not have been more focused, committed and determined. When I am in the States, I forget that there are two sides to this equation; what we do to bring awareness and raise money and what Rotarians in infected countries do to make it happen.

I am glad I went to Nigeria. I am proud that my team vaccinated thousands of children. It was a lot of work for the team and the healthcare workers. It really was Rotary in action.

• Read more posts from this trip
• Learn more about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio
• Be part of the effort to make the World’s Biggest Commercial  at www.endpolionow.org

Rotary member Gretchen Bren from End Polio Now on Vimeo.

Lorena Hart Fights Polio in Nigeria from End Polio Now on Vimeo.

A 15 member Rotary volunteer group traveled to Nigeria to immunize children against polio December 8 -20. Rotary member Lorena Hart shares her first impressions of Nigeria and why she is fighting to end this crippling disease. Follow the trip of these dedicated volunteers at the End Polio Now blog. endpolio.org/blog

• Learn more about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio
• Be part of the effort to make the World’s Biggest Commercial
• Purchase End Polio Now, an album of songs performed by Rotary polio ambassadors, available as a digital download through iTunes and as a CD from shop.rotary.org.