Kunle Adeyanju
When I was a young boy, I practiced and honed my football skills with my friends at the local playground in Kano. Watching from the sidelines was my best friend Sanjo, who had suffered a bout of polio that left him paralyzed and wheelchair-bound.
Despite his tragedy, he cheered us on wholeheartedly. When he passed away two years ago, I vowed to do whatever I could so that no other child had to go through the same painful experience as Sanjo.
In April this year, inspired by his life story, I took an unforgettable intercontinental journey to support Rotary International’s global polio eradication efforts and to raise awareness of the devastating effects of the disease. The Trans-Saharan motorbike ride from London to Lagos covered about 12,000 kilometres and took me across complex terrain and challenging conditions that, at times, stretched me to my limits.
During my traverse through France and Spain, it rained heavily for over 1,200 kilometers. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of my friend Sanjo, whose childhood was tragically stolen by this debilitating disease. This is the momentum we need to maintain as Rotarians in the global fight against polio. We cannot give up during this final stretch. We must weather the storm until we reach our goal of eradicating polio for good.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. The virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can then attack the nervous system and, in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, polio can be prevented by vaccines, and Rotary and our partners immunize over 400 million children every year.
Rotary, a global service organization with over 1.4 million members, has been working to eradicate polio for more than 30 years. As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent. Rotary members have contributed more than $2.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.
In August 2020, Africa was certified wild poliovirus-free, a milestone that brought about benefits beyond ridding the continent of the wild virus. The infrastructure and innovations have played an important role in the COVID-19 pandemic response and can be used in future public health emergencies. Polio workers are also trained to conduct other routine immunizations, deliver medicines, and provide a range of additional health care services.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The recent discovery of wild polio cases in Malawi and Mozambique strains imported from Pakistan – reminds us that there is still more work to be done. We must ensure that polio immunization efforts remain a top priority while focusing on permanently interrupting polio transmission in the two remaining endemic countries to prevent future importations.
On World Polio Day on the 24th of October, the Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro D9110 will be launching the #EndPolio awareness campaign and raising funds to support the Rotary Foundation towards this worthy cause. We are bringing together a vibrant group of bikers, Rotarians, Polio advocates, Polio survivors, health workers, and community members in a 100 Km procession that will seek to create awareness that one case of Polio anywhere in the world is one too many.
And Rotary International will also host a virtual World Polio Day program to share essential updates on polio eradication efforts and why continued support is critical to ending polio for good.
This final phase of polio eradication will be the most difficult, but we also know that eradication is achievable, and we have the collective strength to finish the job. There will be no more incredible feeling than crossing the finish line and knowing that you and I championed eradicating polio globally. This commitment to a polio-free world is our promise to all children globally and why Rotary committed $150 million to the GPEI at the Global Citizen Festival in September. Ultimately, the win against polio will be a victory for all humankind.
Kunle is the President, Rotary Club of Ikoyi-Metro, an entrepreneur and an author
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