Rotary Grants US $4.9 million to keep India Polio-Free

Rotary Grants US$ 4.9 million to keep India Polio-FreeThe world has come together as a family to eradicate polio. With less than 250 polio cases recorded in the entire world this year, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has reduced polio by 99% around the world.

Rotary Grants US$ 4.9 million to keep India Polio-FreeDedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges, Rotary has announced a grant of US$ 44.7 million to fight polio, including $4.9 million to keep the disease away from India’s borders. WHO and UNICEF would use these funds to provide high quality immunization campaigns in India. UNICEF will receive USD 3.5 million out of the USD 4.9 million granted to India.

Picture Caption & Link : L to R: Mr. *Louis-George Arsenault*, UNICEF India Representative and *Mr. **Deepak Kapur*, Rotary’s National PolioPlus

Rotary Grants US$ 4.9 million to keep India Polio-FreeFive years ago it seemed nearly impossible to eradicate polio from India as it accounted for more than half of the world’s polio cases. On 24th October 2014, along with South East Asian Regions, WHO announced India as a polio free country. All in all, 1.8 billion people are now polio-free, which is a major step towards polio-less world.

Rotary Grants US$ 4.9 million to keep India Polio-FreeHowever, we all know that diseases have no borders and until polio is diminished from the entire globe, the risk of it pertains. Experts warn that India’s polio-free status is fragile as neighboring state Pakistan has high records of this paralyzing disease.

Rotary Grants US$ 4.9 million to keep India Polio-FreeCommenting on the same, Rotary’s National Polio Plus Chair for India Deepak Kapur said, “Until polio is eradicated everywhere, India remains at risk. Indians have worked hard to rid our country of this dreaded disease. However, the hard work must continue until polio is eradicated everywhere, or we risk seeing it reenter our borders.”

Rotary Grants US $4.9 million to keep India Polio-Free

Rotary Grants US$ 4.9 million to keep India Polio-Free“The grant from Rotary will provide critical funds to implement communication and mobilization activities to keep polio out of India. The UNICEF managed social mobilization network in India has been emulated around the world as a gold standard. UNICEF remains a committed partner in the polio eradication effort and our social mobilization network will continue to be active and harness this great momentum and leverage it for broader health initiatives for improving the lives of children,” said Louis-Georges Arsenault, UNICEF India Representative. “India’s experience of eradicating polio proves that the obstacles which stand in the way of our ambitious goals for children can be overcome”.

Rotary Grants US$ 4.9 million to keep India Polio-FreeAfter smallpox, Polio is ready to become the second human disease to be eradicated from the planet. Till date, Rotary has helped in eradicating the transmission of Polio from 193 countries through mass immunization of children. Now Rotary is targeting on countries where children are still prone to this incurable but totally preventable disease.

Rotary Grants US$ 4.9 million to keep India Polio-FreeNigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the three countries where treating the polio could never be possible but the risk is that these viruses can travel and lead to outbreaks in rest of the world. In fact, last year the majority of the world’s polio cases stemmed from outbreaks in countries that had previously been polio-free.

Rotary Grants US$ 4.9 million to keep India Polio-FreeApproximately $18.5 million will go to the three remaining polio-endemic countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan and another $9.5 million would be for previously polio-free countries currently reporting cases “imported” from the endemic countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Somalia. And $10.4 million will go to polio-free countries that remain at risk of re-infection: Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Sudan. The remaining $6.3 million will go toward polio eradication research.

Rotary Grants US$ 4.9 million to keep India Polio-FreeRotary, till the date, has contributed more than $1.3 billion to fight polio. In 2013, only 416 cases of polio were confirmed in the world as compared to 350,000 a year when the initiative launched in 1988.