Bill Gates terms Indias polio eradication as most impressive global health success, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has described Indias accomplishment in eradicating polio as the most impressive global health success he has ever seen. In essay What I Learned in the Fight Against Polio, the billionaire philanthropist lauds the extensive work undertaken in India by the army of more than two million vaccinators, who covered the length and breadth of the country in the effort to ensure every child is vaccinated against the disease. Indeed, Indias accomplishment in eradicating polio is the most impressive global health success Ive ever seen, Gates said in the essay adapted from his contribution to Reimagining India: Unlocking Potential of Asias Next Superpower edited by McKinsey and published online in the Wall Street Journal. Indias success offers a script for winning some of the worlds most difficult battles in every area of human welfare, he added. Gates attributed Indias success in eradicating polio to the crucial extra step of enlisting support of full sweep of Indian society, including health workers, ordinary citizens and some of poorest people in most impoverished regions of the country. I didnt know nearly as much about India as I do now. I saw Indias obvious talent and energy, but I missed its hidden strength rich, powerful & poor working together toward a common goal, he added. India has been polio-free for more than two years now but Gates said the accomplishments of Indias vaccinators does not end with the eradication of polio alone. Now that they have found Indias children, they can bring them and their families other vaccines, clean water, education, advice on maternal and child health, and support for agriculture all the things that people need to live healthy and productive lives, he said. Sending a caution note, Gates said the fight to end polio is not over, not even in India. New polio cases emerging in the Horn of Africa and Syria underscore the importance of maintaining funding and commitment to eradicate the disease globally within six years, he said. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation began working in India a decade ago, when the Microsoft co-founder said many feared the country would become a flashpoint for HIV/AIDS. Melinda and I have seen many examples of Indias poor making dramatic contributions. Experts predicted that polio would be eliminated in every other country before it was eliminated in India, Gates said in the essay. But nowhere has this power been demonstrated more clearly than in the fight to end polio, Gates said recalling that he first began travelling to India in the 1980s, drawn by a fascination with this ancient country that cherishes its history and harbours great ambitions for the future. By the mid and late 1990s, the Americas were polio-free followed by China and in Europe but India was one of the last nations left that still had polio cases. This was no surprise.Indias urban centres are among the worlds most densely populated.Its rural communities are dispersed across a vast and often inaccessible terrain. Country suffers from poor sanitation, he said in the essay. But India surprised them all. The country has now been polio-free for more than two years. The key has been the participation of the humblest, most vulnerable members of the Indian population, he said. Gates said for any campaign of this magnitude to be successful there has to be a clear goal, a comprehensive plan and precise measurements of progress. Heart of the plan was a simple and inspiring mission, to find the children. To defeat polio, it is essential to achieve 95% vaccination coverage in afflicted areas. There is no way to measure whether youre meeting that mark unless you know how many children there are, where they are and whether theyve been vaccinated, he said. According to Gates, India responded to the challenge with an army of more than two million vaccinators, who canvassed every village, hamlet and slum. Vaccinators took the best maps they had and made them better. They walked miles every day and worked late into the night. They found children in poorest areas of Uttar Pradesh and in the remote Kosi River area of Bihar, an area with no electricity that is often flooded and unreachable by roads. They found the sons and daughters of migrant workers in bus stations and train stations, accompanying their families on their way to find work, Gates said.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 14:37:12 +0000
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