Up to 50 Rotarians from around Great Britain & Ireland are heading to India for National Immunisation Day on November 24th to help give life saving polio vaccinations to hundreds of children aged up to five years old. Upon their arrival, they will join local Rotarians and health agencies in the hardest hit areas around Delhi, reaching and protecting millions of children.
Trip organiser, Rotarian Mike Yates, says: “We go out twice a year to help Rotary clubs in the area reach as many children as possible. There are regular vaccination events throughout the year, but the larger National Immunisation Days draw huge numbers of children and families. Although India is now off the endemic list for polio, it does not mean that the disease has gone. India needs to have three complete years with no new polio cases before it can be said that the disease has been eradicated. We are very close to reaching this point, however until we do, we will keep immunising as many children as possible to spare them from a life of disability and pain.”
The trips to India are very rewarding but do mean that Rotarians witness scenes of extreme poverty including people trying to make a living in gutters and others crippled by polio who can barely crawl. Mike says: “It can be very distressing, but the knowledge that we are making a difference through the vaccination project keeps us motivated.”
The immunisation drive is part of Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign, which has been leading the world in polio eradication, along with its partners, since the nineteen eighties. During that time, the number of endemic countries has dropped from 125 to three: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. India was removed from the endemic list earlier this year but must not record any new cases in order to be classed as officially polio free in January 2014.
Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland (RIBI) President, Nan McCreadie said: “Rotary volunteers fund their own airfares and accommodation and their reward is the knowledge that they are saving children’s lives. Thanks to their dedication, we are now very close to eradicating polio once and for all, but we will continue our efforts until the disease is officially gone for good."
