The detection of poliovirus, and even cases of polio, in places where it had not been detected for years demonstrates once once more that the eradication of a human disease is difficult, especially in the later stages.
In recent months, an unvaccinated man has been paralyzed in the United States. In the UK, poliovirus has been detected in sewage. In Malawi, a child contracted polio. And Mozambique announced its first polio outbreak in 30 years.
But rather than be discouraged, Rotary and its partners inGlobal Polio Eradication Initiative (IMEP) remain confident in their progress and in their ability to achieve their goal of a polio-free world. There are several reasons for this optimism.
A new oral vaccine, which has a significantly lower risk of causing vaccine-derived variant polio, is now available. This makes it less likely that the weakened strain of poliovirus used in the vaccine will mutate and trigger outbreaks in communities with low vaccination levels, which has happened in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
In addition, the number of cases of disease caused by the wild virus has reached historic lows in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the two countries where wild poliovirus transmission has never been stopped. This is an opportunity to seize this opportunity and stop it definitively.
The perseverance of Rotary has played a major role in bringing this regarding. It is this commitment, coupled with the determination of other GPEI partners, that is needed to complete the job.
“This year has shown us why we need to stay the course on polio eradication,” said Mike McGovern, chair of Rotary’s PolioPlus Committee. “We have an opportunity to make history and we need Rotarians to do more to raise funds and awareness. »
Rotary members have been at the heart of the global polio eradication effort for more than three decades. Rotary launched PolioPlus in 1985 and helped found the GPEI in 1988, with the goal of eradicating a human disease for only the second time in history (the World Health Organization said the eradication of smallpox in 1980). When the GPEI was founded, wild poliovirus paralyzed hundreds of children every day and there were an estimated 350,000 polio cases in more than 125 countries every year. Since then, the number of cases has dropped by more than 99.9%, sparing more than 20 million people from paralysis.
Through a fundraising partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary is committing $150 million annually to the fight once morest polio. Rotary members have contributed more than $2.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to this effort. With GPEI partners, members engage with communities around the world to promote immunization and help immunize more than 400 million children each year.
As the world moves closer to the goal of zero cases of wild poliovirus, public health experts say it is more important to monitor all forms of the virus wherever they appear, including in regions free of polio. polio.
They also point out that the reappearance of polio in these places highlights the importance of vaccination as the only form of protection once morest this disease and many others. This draws attention to the work needed to encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated at a time when vaccination rates are falling in some communities. And it reinforces the fact that polio anywhere is a threat everywhere, underscoring the importance of the End Polio campaign.
As World Polio Day approaches on October 24, Rotary encourages its members to educate their communities regarding the importance of immunization. Major donors and governments are also expected to announce new funding pledges for the GPEI’s Polio Eradication Strategy 2022-2026. This strategy emphasizes greater accountability of national governments for their work to eradicate wild poliovirus and end polio outbreaks caused by the variant.
Thanks to the renewal of this kind of political and financial commitment, the world is still on the path to an incredible achievement: to ensure that no one is paralyzed by polio ever once more.
