A group of Rotarians were accompanied by UK journalist, Jeremy Laurance on their recent trip to Delhi for National Immunisation Day (NID). Assisted by the Rotarians, Jeremy put together extensive and detailed reports on NID and the international effort to eradicate polio. This has provided a tremendous publicity boost for Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign, with coverage in the Independent and the London Evening Standard.
The reports describe the beggars who crawl the city’s streets dragging their limbs behind them – a living memorial to the disease which once affected thousands of children in India every year.
Jeremy also pays tribute to the monumental achievement of Rotarians and other health organisations taking part in NID. His report details the logistical challenges of vaccinating up to 172 million children under five on a single day requiring 2.5 million vaccination staff to be transported in 155,000 vehicles.
Rotarian Mike Yates said: “It was interesting for the 52 Rotarians to be accompanied by Jeremy and to see a journalist at work. As health editor of the Independent, Jeremy’s main emphasis was on the medical background to the End Polio Now campaign. He was therefore very appreciative of our assistance which helped him understand how India pulled off this extraordinary feat. We are all delighted with the reports in the Independent and the Evening Standard which will greatly help raise awareness of the final push we are making to eradicate polio from the world.”
