Hello Fellow Rotarians,
When I got back from my afternoon ten mile run I noticed this article from Rotary International about the role of women fighting Wild Polio. After reading this article I was so inspired by those on the front lines of this fight to eradicate Wild Polio that I grabed my checkbook and sent in another donation. I hope you enjoy this article and will consider making a donation.
Pakistan’s female vaccinators are doing more than helping end a disease
Women make up two-thirds of Pakistan’s polio workforce. It’s a startling statistic for a nation that ranks 145th out of 146 countries for gender parity in economic participation and opportunity, according to a
World Economic Forum gender inequality index.
The role of female vaccinators is born of necessity. Because of cultural norms, men are not allowed into many people’s homes in Pakistan. Women who provide the health care are the key link. They can build mom-to-mom relationships and provide trusted advice on not only polio but other health issues.
“Women working with women on the front line is going to be what gets us across the finish line,” says Rotary President Jennifer Jones, who met last year with polio workers in Pakistan. The country and Afghanistan are the only two where wild poliovirus is still transmitted persistently.
The female vaccinators’ work is neither safe nor easy. The women in Pakistan are sworn at, shoved, beaten, and some even killed. They’re fighting misinformation. But their work is crucial — and not just for the cause of polio eradication.
“They are supporting their education, they’re supporting their household, they’re supporting their men and giving a change in Pakistan,” says Sadia Shakeel, coordinator for a Rotary-supported polio resource center in Karachi. “This is bigger than polio.”
Shakeel calls them “little entrepreneurs.” Most of the women range in age from 21-38 and have their own children, she says. Yet they wake to say prayers before dawn, feed their children breakfast, and leave to start their work to end a disease.
Employing women is one key strategy of the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative. And that’s not just to deliver the vaccines at the front line; it’s also to hire women as supervisors, doctors, and decision-makers. “We cannot succeed without the women we have in the program at all levels,” says Hamid Jafari, a pediatric infectious disease doctor and director of polio eradication for the
World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean region.
Okay, so I don't break one of the
"Four Way Tests", I must admit that I did not run ten miles. Please consider joining the
Polio Plus Society or simply making any
donation you can. Thank You!
The weekly Polio report in below.
One new (2023) Wild Polio case reported this week. We are now 4 weeks since the most recent reported Wild Polio Case - on 2/20/22 in Pakistan.
What is that Polio Picture? Rotary International President insists Rotarians have to finish the job of eradicating Polio. Rotary International President, Jennifer Jones, is on a brief tour of London. Speaking at the House of Commons she said that Rotary had to deliver on its promise to the children of the world that it would help to eradicate polio. In this picture, RI President Jennifer Jones, Judith Diment, Rotary's Polio Advocacy Coordinator & Dean of the Rotary Representative Network, and Aiden O'Leary, WHO's Director for Polio Eradication, hear from MP Andrew Mitchell in the House of Commons.
A Win Against Polio is a Win For Global Health!
2023 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Case Total - 14, Benin - 1, Chad - 2, Indonesia - 3, Israel - 1, Madagascar - 5, Nigeria - 1, Somalia - 1.
2022 Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Case Total - 831 Afghanistan - 43, Algeria - 3, Benin - 11 (3 in 2021), Burundi - 1, Cameroon - 3 (3 in 2021), Central African Republic - 5, Chad -44 (0 in 2021), DR Congo - 438 (28 in 2021), Republic of Congo - 1, Eritrea - 1, Ethiopia - 1, Ghana - 3, Indonesia - 1, Israel - 1, Madagascar - 14 (13 in 2021), Malawi - 4, Mali - 2, Mozambique - 21 (2 in 2021), Niger - 15 (18 in 2021), Nigeria - 48 (415 in 2021), Pakistan - 8, Somalia - 5 (1 in 2021), Sudan - 1, Togo - 2, United States - 1, Yemen - 162 (69 in 2021) .
New Polio Cases & Samples reported in the last week - Afghanistan - 4 WPV1 Samples, Algeria - 1 cVDPV2 Sample, Benin - 2 cVDPV2 Samples, DR Congo - 3 cVDPV2 Cases + 2 cVDPV1 Cases, Indonesia - 1 (2023) cVDPV2 Case, Madagascar - 7 cVDPV1 Samples, Niger - 1 cVDPV2 Sample, Nigeria - 1 cVDPV2 Sample, Pakistan - 1 WPV1 Case.
Quote of the Day - "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Zig Ziglar
The Final Two Polio Endemic Countries:
2023 Wild Polio Cases - 1
Pakistan One new Wild Polio case reported this week. Twenty Wild Polio cases reported in 2022. One Wild Polio Case reported in 2021. The most recent case had an onset of paralysis on 2/20/23. Pakistan reported 83 Wild Polio cases in 2020. No WPV1 Samples and no cVDPV2 Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Pakistan.
Afghanistan No new Wild Polio cases reported this week. Two Wild Polio Cases reported in 2022 . Four Wild Polio cases reported in 2021 The most recent case had an onset of paralysis on 8/29/22. Afghanistan reported 56 Wild Polio cases in 2020. Four WPV1 Samples and no cVDPV2 Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Afghanistan.
Our Goal is Global Polio Eradication!!
Blessings,
Glenn T. Garlick
D6440 EPNC / VAL
Buffalo Grove Rotary Club
gtgarlick@yahoo.com
630-399-2421
