Rotary International and everyday Rotarians convinced the world the world that Polio Eradication was possible. Should Rotarians now convince their respective countries and the world to maintain this partnership and network? What will become of the network that was set up to Eradicate Polio? As Rotarians we believe that Polio could be history within a few years, but what will become of the vast network set up to fight the disease is unclear. Public health official agree that allowing the network for polio eradication to collapse would be akin to the tragedy of scrapping the smallpox surveillance system after the last case of the disease was reported in 1977 in Somalia. In many African countries, it is these same polio officers who lead vaccination drives to crush other diseases, including hepatitis B and measles. While fighting to end poliomyelitis, thousands of polio medical officers have adapted their skills and duties to become vital cogs in national health networks. Polio field workers have also led the march in reporting and responding to other priority diseases, including measles and rubella. The efforts of polio surveillance officers, Rotarians and volunteers have helped countries move closer to achieving Millennium Development Goal 4 and Rotary International 4th Area of Focus; by reducing measles mortality, the lives of more than 500,000 children are saved every year. While immunizing children against polio, measles and other diseases, Rotarians in partnership with polio surveillance officers have also been distributing vitamin A supplements, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, helping to avert more than 1.5 million childhood deaths to date. They have also led drives to hand out insecticide-treated bed nets across malaria-ravaged countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Rotary International and everyday Rotarians convinced the world the world that Polio Eradication was possible. Should Rotarians now convince their respective countries and the world to maintain this partnership and network?
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 19:09:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015