Fighting polio wherever it's found

From 21-28 April, ten Rotary members from France and Belgium participated in a large-scale polio immunization campaign in Pakistan. The volunteers witnessed the strong commitment of the Pakistani vaccination teams, who are working hard to eradicate the disease from one of the last two endemic countries.

In 2024, such an initiative had already taken place, led by Alain Bouvard, Governor of District 1710. This year, the team of 10 Rotarians, representing six districts in France and two in Belgium, is taking part in vaccinations in Karachi and Hyderabad—Pakistan's two most populous cities—escorted by security forces.

Witnesses to a massive vaccination campaign

Led by WHO, the health authorities had planned to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five in Pakistan throughout the year, which is why 400,000 social workers, accompanied by volunteers including Rotary members, were involved. The chosen awareness week, 21-28 April, coincides with the anti-polio campaign in Afghanistan. This campaign was announced on television and was strongly supported by the country's authorities. And while 74 new cases of polio were detected in Pakistan in 2024, only seven new cases had been recorded by the time the new campaign began, which is proof of the effectiveness of the efforts deployed.

Everywhere, including the slums

The ten Rotary members joined teams of local vaccinators into homes, going door-to-door with them. "It involved administering two drops of vaccine, applying a marker to the left little finger of the vaccinated child, and the houses visited were marked with a distinctive sign. Only the women in the team were allowed into the houses," explains Françoise Durand, then President of the Rotary Club of Paris Alliance. The campaign was more difficult in the slums, where nomadic families live in tents. It was more convenient in health centers, some of which are supported by Pakistani Rotary clubs, where polio immunization is carried out alongside other vaccinations. The Franco-Belgian delegation took part in vaccination campaigns in a wide variety of locations, including the platforms of railway stations in Karachi and Hyderabad, where children are in transit with their families. Sometimes, children arrived at End Polio Now centers on overcrowded buses.

Michel Godet, a member of the Rotary Club of Lyon-Sud, who took part in last year's event, explains: "We immunized children on buses from Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. Those are sad conditions for these people, who travel for long hours in extremely cramped quarters and stifling heat. The buses had to stop both for a police check and to allow a WHO vaccinator and a Rotarian to check the presence of children and vaccinate them if necessary." Despite this, families with many children didn’t seem to mind, as smiles were a common sight.

A delegation welcomed by local clubs

The Rotary Club of Karachi facilitated travel for the ten visiting Rotarians in the country. Aziz Memon, trustee of The Rotary Foundation and chairman of the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee, organized numerous meetings with vaccinators and Rotarians involved in immunization, both in Karachi and Hyderabad. The meeting with members of the Rotary Club of Karachi Nexus was a highlight for visitors: the meeting began with the national anthem and a short invocation.

Isabelle Royer, a member of the Rotary Club of Ambroise Paré, recalls “the gratitude of the Pakistani Rotarians towards our group who came from so far away to participate in their vaccination efforts; many thought that their work against polio remained in the shadows and were pleasantly surprised to see the interest shown by Rotarians from countries where polio no longer exists.”

A visit to the “Artificial limb center” near Karachi, dedicated to the detection of diabetes and the treatment of limbs, was also a particularly emotional experience. This institution owes its creation and operation largely to the Rotary Club of Karachi.

An ongoing battle

Marie-Laurence Lejeune, a member of the Rotary Club of Hazebrouck Merville, whose father suffered from polio while living in Africa, explains that these vaccinations “represent more than a humanitarian project, it's a project for humanity.” A view shared by Philippe Ruffin, who stresses that "this fight concerns us all, it’s about protecting our children and grandchildren. The population has been very receptive to our action: they've been waiting for these life-saving vaccines."

Progress against polio in Pakistan must continue until the virus is no longer detected. Vigilance is needed to ensure that no child is missed, and that all refusals (fewer and fewer over time) are dealt with. Aziz Memon says: "Unless we have 100% coverage, we cannot eliminate this deadly virus. Let's work together as one team to end polio, once and for all."

This story originally appeared in the July 2025 issue of Rotary Mag