Celebrities, health officials come together to hail progress toward polio’s
end
After a historic year during
which transmission of the wild poliovirus vanished from Nigeria and the
continent of Africa, the crippling disease is closer than ever to being
eradicated worldwide, said top health experts at Rotary’s third annual World
Polio Day event on 23 October in New York City.
More than 150 people attended
the special Livestream
program co-sponsored by UNICEF, and thousands more around the world
watched online. Jeffrey Kluger, Time magazine’s editor at
large, moderated the event.
Anthony Lake, executive
director of UNICEF, lauded the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s
efforts. After nearly 30 years, the GPEI, which includes Rotary, the World
Health Organization, UNICEF, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), and is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
is on the cusp of ending polio. It would be only the second human disease ever
to be eradicated.
Lake urged the partners not to
lose their momentum: “At a time when the world is torn by conflicts, when the
bonds among people seem weaker and more frayed than ever before, ending polio
will be not only one of humanity’s greatest achievements, but a singular and
striking example of what can be achieved when diverse partners are driven by a
common goal -- when we act as one,” he said.
The event highlighted recent
milestones in polio eradication: In July, Nigeria marked one year without a
case, and in August, the entire African continent celebrated one year without
an outbreak. That leaves just two countries where the virus is regularly
spreading: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In a question-and-answer
session with Kluger, Dr. John Vertefeuille, polio incident manager for the CDC,
discussed the reasons for Nigeria’s success, including strong political
commitment at all levels and the support and engagement of religious and
community leaders.
“The foundation to Nigeria’s
success has been the incredible dedication of tens of thousands of health
workers who have worked, often in difficult circumstances, to ensure that all
children are reached with the polio vaccine,” said Vertefeuille.
Innovative changes, including
strategies for reaching children who were often missed in the past, better
mechanisms for ensuring the accountability of health workers, and the
engagement of doctors, journalists, and polio survivors, also aided Nigeria in
reaching its goal.
Polio eradication is
progressing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Afghanistan, cases dropped from 28
in 2014 to 13 so far this year. In Pakistan, transmission of the disease
dropped dramatically, from 306 cases to 38.
Kluger and Vertefeuille agreed
that eradicating polio is a wise financial investment. Vertefeuille said
financial savings of $50 billion are projected over the next 20 years.
Failure to eradicate polio, he
noted, could result in a global resurgence of the disease, with 200,000 new
cases every single year within 10 years.
Celebrities add their voices
Archie Panjabi, Emmy
Award-winning actress and Rotary celebrity ambassador for polio eradication,
praised Rotary’s success in banishing polio from India in 2012. “I’ve immunized
children, feeling pure joy when I placed just two drops of vaccine into a child’s
mouth, which are like two drops of life,” she said.
The audience also heard from
musician, activist, and Grammy award-winner Angélique Kidjo, who performed a
song from her latest album, “Eve.”
Dr. Jennifer Berman, cohost of
the Emmy Award-winning television show “The Doctors” called Rotary’s role in
eradicating polio “one of those transformative initiatives that uses the
insights of science to improve the human condition.”
The program also featured
video messages from Bill Gates; Mia Farrow, actress and polio survivor; Heidi
Klum, model and celebrity businessperson; and two new Rotary polio ambassadors,
WWE star John Cena and actress Kristen Bell.
“How do we stop polio forever?
How do we ensure that no child has to suffer this disease ever again? It’s easy
to help. Spread the word, donate, or simply take this opportunity to learn
more,” said Bell.
Rotary boosts funding
Rotary General Secretary John
Hewko announced an additional $40.4 million Rotary will direct to the fight
against polio. More than $26 million will go to African countries to prevent
the disease from returning. Rotary has also earmarked $5.3 million for India,
$6.7 for Pakistan, and $400,000 for Iraq. Nearly $1 million will support
immunization activities and surveillance. Since 1979, Rotary has contributed
more than $1.5 billion to polio eradication.
“Our program this evening will
show how far we have come -- and what we still have to do -- to slam the door
on polio for good,” said Hewko. “Once we do, not only will we end the suffering
of children from this entirely preventable disease -- we will also create a
blueprint for the next major global health initiative and leave in place
resources to protect the world’s health in the future.”
