Bebe Akinboade

ROTARY RECOGNIZES PRESIDENT BUHARI FOR NIGERIA’S COMMITMENT TO ENDING POLO

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 In acknowledgment of his government’s efforts   to keep Nigeria polio-free, Rotary today
presented  President Muhammadu Buhari
with its Polio Eradication Champion Award.  
Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) removed Nigeria from its
list of polio-endemic countries after the African nation went one year without
reporting a case of the disease. The last reported case of polio in Nigeria was
July 24, 2014, in south Kano state. Nigeria was the last country on the African
continent to report active transmission of the wild poliovirus.

Shortly after taking office in July 2015, President Buhari demonstrated his
personal commitment to ending polio by publically immunizing his young
granddaughter. In September, he launched polio immunization campaigns in his
hometown of Daura, Katsina, by vaccinating local children. Mostly recently, he
convened a Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication, through which 36
Nigerian State Governors reaffirmed their commitment to keeping Nigeria
polio-free.
“Progress against polio in Nigeria, while a tremendous achievement, remains
fragile. The country must ensure high-quality polio campaigns and surveillance
activity for at least another two years, or risk the return of this disease,”
said Rotary International President K.R. Ravindran. “President Buhari and the
Nigerian government have shown they are equal to this challenge, maintaining
strong commitment and public support for polio immunization in the face of zero
cases.”
Rotary established the Polio Eradication Champion Award in 1995 to
recognize leaders and others who have made significant contributions to the
global eradication of polio. Past recipients include Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister
of Japan; Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany; David Cameron, Prime Minister
of Britain; Enda Kenny, Prime Minister of Ireland; and Ban Ki-moon, UN
Secretary General.
Rotary launched its polio immunization program PolioPlus
(http://www.EndPolio.org) in 1985, and in 1988 became a spearheading partner in
the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (http://www.PolioEradication.org) with
the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Since the initiative launched in 1988, the incidence of polio
has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to
less than 75 confirmed in 2015. 
Rotary’s roles within the initiative are fundraising, advocacy, and social
mobilization. To date, Rotary has contributed more than US$1.5 billion to
ending polio, including more than $225 million in grants to support polio
eradication activities in Nigeria and countless volunteer hours by members of
Nigeria’s 311 Rotary clubs. To date, more than 2.5 billion children worldwide
have been immunized against the paralyzing and potentially fatal disease.  
Along with on-the-ground support, including program oversight at all
levels, the government of Nigeria has invested more than $112 million in its
own polio eradication activities. 
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