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Rotary chief, C’wealth leaders, UN chief in final push toward polio free world
View(s):Representing civil society and partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary International President K. R. Ravindran joined UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Prime Ministers of Australia, Nigeria and Pakistan and Foreign Ministers of Nigeria, Canada and Britain in a commitment to ending polio, a paralysing disease on the brink of global eradication, a news release from Rotary International said yesterday.
The event was hosted by Malta’s Prime Minister and CHOGM Chair Joseph Muscat. Mr. Muscat hosted the event to recognise collective progress and the need for continued global commitment. The leaders acknowledged the significant progress made since the 2011 summit. India and all of Southeast Asia were certified free from polio in 2014. Pakistan and Afghanistan are currently the only countries in the world with endemic polio virus transmission.
Mr. Ravindran recognised both the progress and need for continued focus. “We are playing for stakes that are incredibly high, and our target is microscopically small. Until we find every last poliovirus, and vaccinate every last child, our immunization, surveillance, monitoring, staffing, and infrastructure must be robustly maintained,” the statement added.