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New PolioPlus messaging
(as of 14 February 2019)
(as of 14 February 2019)
Contents:
- Key messages
- How far have we come?
- What does a polio-free world mean?
- Where are we making progress?
- What are we looking forward to?
- Why we’re optimistic/Why is eradication possible?
- What are we doing differently in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
- Calls to action
- Rotary and polio eradication by the numbers
- Rotary has been in the center of the fight to end polio for more than three decades, and Rotarians everywhere should be proud of the work we’ve done.
- Rotarians have contributed $1.9 billion dollars and countless volunteer hours to the fight to end polio.
- Since Rotary formed PolioPlus we’ve seen a reduction in polio cases from 350,000 a year in 125 countries, to around 30 cases of wild poliovirus in just two countries last year.
- We’ve made incredible progress and we’re optimistic that we can end this disease, but getting to zero cases is going to take even more progress, perseverance and patience.
- We know that with sufficient resources, country-level commitment, and innovations to access to hard-to-reach areas, we can end polio transmission.
- It’s vital that we redouble our commitment to ending polio for good, and continue progressing towards our goal of a polio-free world.
- When we started this journey over thirty years ago, we knew it wouldn’t be easy, but together with our partners, we’ve brought case counts down from a thousand a day, to around 30 cases in two countries in 2018.
- More than 18 million people who otherwise would have been paralyzed are walking today because of Rotary and its partners.
- Polio eradication is the largest public health initiative of its kind in history. In 2018 alone, the GPEI vaccinated more than 400 million children.
- Like any big initiative, we know the last mile of polio eradication will be the most difficult, but we also know eradication is achievable and we will get the job done.
- Eradicating polio means that no child ever has to suffer the paralyzing effects of this disease.
- Eradicating polio will be one of the greatest public health achievements in history.
- Ending polio will be Rotary’s greatest achievement. Never has a civil society organization like Rotary spearheaded a public health initiative of this magnitude.
- Eradication of polio will mean a $40-50 billion in health savings, especially in lower income countries.
- We are reaching more children than ever before in some of the most difficult places in the world to deliver healthcare, including the remote islands of Lake Chad and parts of Pakistan.
- Pakistan
- In Pakistan, 57 environmental poliovirus sampling sites in 31 cities make up the largest surveillance network of its kind in the world.
- In Pakistan, fewer children are being missed as campaign quality continues to improve. During the last two national immunization rounds of 2018, less than 1% of target children remained unvaccinated.
- Nigeria
- Nigeria hasn’t seen a case of wild poliovirus in nearly 2.5 years.
- In the Borno region of Nigeria, we reached over twice as many inaccessible children in October 2018 than we did a year before. 100,000 children were immunized who would have otherwise been missed.
- In Nigeria, the polio infrastructure is supporting the strengthening of routine immunization in high-risk states. In addition, polio workers and polio infrastructure have continued to support the Cholera, Lassa fever, measles, meningitis, yellow fever and other outbreaks.
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan’s surveillance system is stronger than it’s ever been, and the country has expanded its environmental surveillance system. In 2017, the network expanded to four new sites to a total of 20 environmental surveillance sites country-wide.
- In most districts, childhood immunity to the virus is high. Despite being one of the world’s toughest places to deliver healthcare, the quality of immunization coverage during polio campaigns increased in 2018.
- The GPEI is constantly improving the quality and reach of surveillance systems across affected countries.
- Continuous expansion of environmental surveillance sites throughout the endemic countries.
- A new mobile app has improved AFP surveillance by providing health workers and community informants with a surveillance tool to quickly and accurately detect and report suspected AFP cases.
- We’re finding new ways to reach children in insecure and inaccessible areas by stationing teams at transit and cross-border points to reach kids on the move.
- We’re seeing constant innovation, including the development of a new oral polio vaccine.
- The Global Certification Commission has determined that world may be ready to certify the eradication of wild poliovirus type 3.
- Nigeria has gone nearly 2.5 years without a case of wild poliovirus, driving the Africa region closer to a polio-free status.
- The GPEI is unveiling its new strategy for 2019-2023, the Polio Eradication, Certification and Integration Strategy.
- A new oral polio vaccine is in development that could eliminate the occurrence of vaccine-derived polio.
- A new resource mobilization strategy to support the new strategy is underway to push eradication through to the finish line.
- We’re optimistic because we have the wild poliovirus cornered in the smallest geographic area in history. Now there are just two countries that have never been polio-free.
- Out of the three strains of wild poliovirus, we’ve already eradicated Type 2 and we haven’t seen a case of Type 3 since 2012.
- We’re optimistic because the GPEI is implementing strategies and tactics that will improve vaccination coverage and reach more children than ever before, such as setting up provincial Emergency Operations Centers, satellite mapping of nomadic populations, and providing complementary health services in high-risk areas.
- We’re optimistic because we’ve eliminated polio in some of the most difficult places in the world.
- For example, India was once considered the toughest context in the world to eliminate polio, and it has now been polio-free for five years.
- As recently as 2009, India constituted over 60% of all global polio cases.
- 172 million children had to be vaccinated twice each year.
- Enteric diseases and other health issues plagued the country, along with other obstacles like insanitary living conditions, impure drinking water, and malnourishment.
- Implementing the social mobilization network, finger marking, newborn tracking and mapping missed children, under the leadership of government was key to our success in India.
- For five years India has maintained high immunity to polio and very high quality disease surveillance.
- India is now working to transition its extensive polio eradication knowledge and assets to serve broader public health goals such as measles and rubella elimination.
- Reaching this milestone proves that a major health threat like polio can be eliminated even under the most extreme and complex circumstances.
- For example, India was once considered the toughest context in the world to eliminate polio, and it has now been polio-free for five years.
- We’re optimistic because we have the drive and commitment of our 1.2 million members. Rotary embarked on this journey in 1985, and we won’t back down until every last child is protected from polio.
- Afghanistan and Pakistan pose unique challenges, including insecurity, highly mobile populations, difficult geographies and, in some instances, operational barriers. The GPEI is implementing new strategies to improve vaccination coverage.
- Identifying high-risk mobile populations and tracking their movements with satellite mapping.
- Conducting flexible and opportunistic campaigns to better reach children in insecure and inaccessible areas.
- Establishing provincial Emergency Operations Centers to zero in closer on communities where polio is a threat, to bring focus to the district and even the street level.
- Increasing vaccine acceptance by providing complementary services like nutrition and basic health care to communities to meet broader health needs.
- Improving surveillance and improving the way we use data.
- Using a new mobile app to enable health workers and community informants to quickly and effectively detect and report AFP cases.
- Expanded environmental surveillance sites to better detect where the poliovirus may be hiding.
- We urge every Rotarian to get involved in the fight to end polio, and take that fight to your clubs, your communities, in cities and towns all over the world.
- Continue to raise awareness of the importance of polio eradication, and Rotary’s huge role in that effort. Hold events and fundraisers on World Polio Day and year-round.
- Continue raising $50 million per year for polio eradication, to be matched 2:1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
- And starting 1 July, DDF contributions will be matched 1:1 by the World Fund. With the 2:1 Gates Foundation match, contributions to DDF will yield a 6:1 match.
- Continue advocating to world governments about the importance of supporting polio eradication.
- Keep pushing forward, taking pride in Rotary’s work and commitment thus far, and continue to persevere until the day that we fulfill our promise of a polio-free world.
- 2: The number of countries that continue to see transmission of the wild poliovirus.
- 18 million: The number of people walking today who would have otherwise been paralyzed.
- 400 million: The number of children immunized by Rotary and its partners each year.
- $1.9 billion: The amount in USD Rotary has contributed to polio eradication.
- $8 billion: The amount governments have contributed to polio eradication due to Rotary’s advocacy efforts.
- $40-50 billion: The estimated amount in health savings polio eradication will bring to the world by 2035.
- $3: The amount it costs to protect a child from polio for life.