Monday, January 25, 2021

Miracles do happen, that’s how India won the battle against polio

A child being vaccinated for polio in India. (Shutterstock)

At a time when the world battles Covid-19, the story of how the polio virus was eradicated brings hope that mankind will triumph over adversities at all costs

By RK Saboo

PUBLISHED ON JAN 25, 2021 The Hindustan Times

A child being vaccinated for polio in India. (Shutterstock)

 

On January 13 this year, India celebrated ten years without polio, the last patient to be diagnosed with the disease on this date in 2011 being two-year-old Rukhsar of Howrah.

For her we were too late but after that India was well on its way to achieving the status of a polio free country.

In 2012, the government of India and Rotary organised a polio summit at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi and just before the inauguration, Bruce Aylward from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva, came to the dais and announced that India had been removed from the active list of polio endemic countries.

On March 26, 2014, India was certified by WHO and declared polio-free. That is the reason why January 13 is a memorable day in the public health history calendar.

It was estimated that in 1988, 450 children in India were affected by polio every day. Only 1 out of 200 children who contracted the poliovirus got paralysed. The other 199 went undetected. Experts opined that India would be the last country in the world to eradicate polio (even as late as in 2002), because of its huge cohort of 170 million children below the age of 5, the population density, unsanitary conditions, impure drinking water, and enteric diseases, etc.

India’s victory over polio was achieved after a long drawn struggle.

From 3,50,000 children affected by Polio in 122 countries of the world in the ’80s, the global partnership of Rotary with WHO, UNICEF, Centre for the Control of Diseases and Prevention (CDC), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and numerous partners except for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the world as of now is free of polio. Rotary has contributed more than $1.7 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunise more than 2.5 billion children in countries worldwide.

Rotary’s advocacy efforts have also played a significant role in decisions by donor governments to add more than $7.2 billion to the effort.

It all began in 1977 when Sir Clem Renouf who was nominated as president of Rotary International came across an article in the Reader’s Digest about eradication of small pox. That prompted him to look for another health challenge facing the world. After discussions with numerous health agencies, polio was identified as the biggest threat to the children of the world.

In 1979, Rotary initiated the polio immunisation campaign with Philippines by acquiring six million doses of OPV (oral polio vaccine) developed by Dr Albert Sabin and immunised the total population of young children in the country. Encouraged, Rotary took up this programme to free the world of this dreaded disease.

Despite World Health Assembly in 1988 persuading all nations to join in this fight, no substantive headway was made in India. Late Sudarshan Agarwal, then secretary general of Rajya Sabha and also a senior leader of Rotary, prompted some members of Parliament to ask questions in both houses about why India was lagging in polio eradication while many countries had gone far ahead.

Due credit has to go to Dr Harsh Vardhan, currently the Union minister of health and family welfare, for his contribution in changing the direction of the polio movement. It was one single factor that helped India finally reach its eradication goal. Before 1994 the bureaucracy at the government of India level did not believe in the strategy of National Immunisation Day (NID), observed so successfully by other countries including large population areas such as China and Brazil.

Dr Harsh Vardhan took the immunisation initiative in Delhi on October 2, 1994, naming it the pulse polio programme. With D-Day approaching, however, the plague endemic popped up in Surat with an all-too-real threat over Delhi. However, Dr Harsh Vardhan was determined to go forth. All Rotarians and other stakeholders assured active participation. Wearing masks the health workers of the Delhi government with the support of Rotarians, reached out to 12 lakh children in a single day to protect them from polio and also the plague.

The then newly appointed Union health minister AR Antulay grabbed the opportunity and convened a meeting of all state health ministers where I could make a presentation to them. The result was the adoption of a plan for observing NID. This was the changemaker in the policy. It was also decided that to ensure the success of the programme the Indian government had to be in the driving seat, which was also done. Rotary took up the responsibility of supplying the entire polio vaccine stock and also funding the activities of WHO and UNICEF in the country.

India has been very fortunate that irrespective of the party in power, the immunisation efforts continued year after year. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, however, had problems with minority communities boycotting immunisation due to false rumours. The government encouraged Rotary to develop a connect with these communities. Through notable work conducting free polio corrective surgeries and befriending Ulemas this hurdle too was crossed

In August 2020, Nigeria, and all of Africa as a result, were declared polio-free.

The only countries with polio cases now are Pakistan and Afghanistan. All efforts are being focused on them and after three years of nil cases the entire world will then be polio free, the second disease to be vanquished after smallpox.

Step by step, overcoming hurdles, never losing determination despite setbacks, the Indian government with Rotary and other partners moved forward.

Indeed, the last decade has shown that persistence, perseverance and perspiration can move mountains.

Victor Hugo, well known poet and novelist rightly said, “Perseverance, secret of all triumphs”.

Friday, January 15, 2021

Applications invited for Rotary Peace Fellowship



Rotary International is a private, non-profit, non-religious, non-governmental international service organization. They are the world’s oldest service club dating back to kindle fellowship among members of the business community.

Rotary Peace Fellowship Program:

Applications are open for the Rotary Peace Fellowship Program 2021-22 by The Rotary Foundation, US. The Rotary Peace Fellowship is designed for leaders with work experience in peace and development. Their fellows are committed to the community and international service and the pursuit of peace. Each year, The Rotary Foundation awards up to 50 fellowships for master’s degrees and 80 for certificate studies at premier universities.

Since the program began in 2002, the Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 1,300 fellows who now work in more than 115 countries. Many serve as leaders in governments, NGOs, the military, education, law enforcement, and international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank.

Program Details:

  • Master’s Degree Programs: Accepted candidates study peace and development issues with research-informed teaching and a diverse student body. The programs last 15 to 24 months and include a two- to three-month field study, which participants design themselves.
  • Professional Development Certificate Program: During the one-year program, experienced peace and development professionals with diverse backgrounds gain practical skills to promote peace within their communities and across the globe. Fellows complete field studies, and they also design and carry out a social change initiative.

Eligibility:

Rotary Peace Fellowships may not be used for doctoral study. The following people are not eligible for the master's degree program:

  • Active Rotary members
  • Employees of a Rotary club or district, Rotary International, or other Rotary entity
  • Spouses, lineal descendants (children or grandchildren by blood or legal adoption), spouses of lineal descendants, or ancestors (parents or grandparents by blood) of any living person in these categories
  • Former Rotary members and their relatives as described above (within 36 months of their resignation)
  • Recipients of Rotary Global Grants Scholarships must wait three years after completing the scholarship to apply for Rotary Peace Fellowship programs.

Rotary Peace Fellows who have completed the certificate program must wait three years to apply for the master’s degree program. Certificate fellows are not eligible for another certificate fellowship.

Rotary Peace Fellows who have completed the master's degree program must wait five years to apply for the certificate program.

Application process:

  • They are now accepting applications for the 2021-22 Rotary Peace Fellowship program.
  • Candidates will have until 31 May to submit applications to their district. Districts must submit endorsed applications to The Rotary Foundation by 1 July.

For more information please click here.  

Monday, January 4, 2021

What exactly does the Rotary Club do?

This is the most frequently asked question on Google: What exactly does the Rotary Club do? 

Rotary is an organization of business and professional person united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

Founded in 1905 by a lawyer, Paul Harris, Rotary is a worldwide body with presence in more than 120 countries and geographical regions of the world with 1.2 million Rotarians in nearly 34,000 Rotary Clubs across the globe. 

Rotary Clubs are part of the world body, Rotary International, which has its headquarter in Evanston, USA.  

Rotary brings together professionals from different vocations.  None of the businesses in a Rotary club can hold monopoly, and therefore, prominent leaders in diverse professions and businesses are invited to join Rotary. 

Rotary is a great teacher. 

It is a way of life. 

Religion, caste, colour, geographical boundaries, cultures, do not matter. The basic philosophy is that we as a human race, are one; wherever we may live.  And respect for One's individuality and diversity is acknowledged and respected without any discrimination.  

Rotarians represent hope when everything else fails.  They are often the first responders in any crisis situation and take care of the rescue, and rehabilitation. 

Wherever they find the people in need, they try to find a sustainable solution to human issues. 

We are the 'People of Action'.   People call us differently, the saviours, the harbingers of hope, the humanitarians, and whatnot. Put this all together, and we are the Rotarians. 



Whenever you find this symbol of Rotary anywhere in the world, or in the form of a pin on the lapel of a person, go ahead, and share your problem.  And they will find a solution. 

Talking about what we do?   

To mention just a few, 

- Rotarians worldwide identified polio as a curse on humanity in 80s, and took it upon themselves to rid this world of polio saving millions of children from this crippling disease.  From nearly 122 countries afflicted of this disease, 99.9 per cent of the world has been rid of polio with Rotary spending  more than $1.7 billion — including matching funds from the Gates Foundation — and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2.5 billion children.

- For last several years, over 50 medical missions comprising Indian doctors and Rotarians have worked beyond borders, in Africa and other countries, to help combat disease through the expert hands of Indian doctors. 

- A similar number of mega medical camps are held in the far-flung, tribal areas of our country bringing relief to their health issues. 

- We hold the distinction of having the largest number of Rotary managed blood banks in the country today to save precious lives and encouraging voluntary blood donation; 

- In Chandigarh alone, more than 800 lives of children suffering from congenital cardiac disease have been saved, including many underprivileged children from abroad. 

The six core areas of Rotary's work are: 

  • Peace and conflict prevention/resolution.
  • Disease prevention and treatment.
  • Water and sanitation.
  • Maternal and child health.
  • Basic education and literacy.
  • Economic and community development.

In Chandigarh, Rotary came in May 1958 and since then has worked for the people of the city making ways across the globe. through its major humanitarian initiatives.   This blog does chronicle some of its projects over the years. 


- Rtn CJ Singh