Boulder Valley Club President's Thoughts on PolioMost Rotarians speak proudly of our organization’s work to defeat Polio over many years. We speak of the once 365,000 plus new cases a year worldwide in 1985 that have diminished to less than 25 in 2021.
This happened through a concerted and untiring effort by countries and Rotarians all over the world to never stop, never give up. In India, Maud and I joined Indian Rotarians to inoculate millions of children. Rotary was proud to announce that there had been no new cases in India since 2014. And yet, in Aligarh Uttar Pradesh, India in 2018 and all over India, the campaign went on. My words of encouragement to the large crowd of Indian volunteers and Rotarians, ‘You are the front line. The ones continuing the battle, we must remain vigilant’.
Photo: Maud Huey Kenyon past President BVRC in Aligarh, India
India shares a border with Pakistan, one of the two countries that still have endemic wild polio virus. Several times a year the country conducts NIDs, National Immunization Day campaigns. They set up tables, tents, banners, utilizing movie stars, and celebrities on radio, TV and social media to get the public’s attention. The country and the Rotarians put there back into this campaign. They have been doing this, tirelessly for years. They are committed to ending polio and to securing the safety of their children.
It is with sadness that we see Polio in the United States once again after being Polio free since the early sixties. It travels through sewage, from people who are not vaccinated, who picked it up and brought it here. Most Polio virus has been genetically typed so we will know exactly where it is from, geographically.
Many countries have required you to show proof of vaccinations; although I have never been checked for my Polio vaccinations, perhaps that will change, because I’m from America, a country that now has an active Polio outbreak.
RI has asked, on a yearly basis, that we contribute to the campaign. I confess I have been negligent over the last few years, feeling I can put my money towards other causes. I will now contribute to the campaign. I do not want my grandchildren or for that matter, any children to be afraid to swim in the community pools, not to mention being afraid of the drinking water. Once you have Polio, you can slow down its effects, but there is no cure. I want to be part of the solution and I want Rotary to Once Again Be Part of the Solution.
Photo: NID Campaign 2018, Rotarians from Aligarh, India; we are this close to eradicating polio from the earth! India was declared Polio Free in March 27, 2014, 3 years after the last case of polio was detected in India.John Kenyon
john.johnkenyon@gmail.com
john.johnkenyon@gmail.com
President Rotary Club of Boulder Valley 2022-23
Boulder, Colorado, USA Photos by John Kenyon