Abbreviation INPPS Headquarters New Delhi Parent organization Rotary International | Type Society Key people Deepak kapur, Chairman Motto Polio Eradication | |
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India National Polio Plus’s Society is a non-profit organization. The initiative is an aggressive public-private partnership to assist International Health Agencies and Governments in eradicating polio from the world. The Initiative has achieved significant progress toward its goals. There has been a dramatic decline in cases everywhere in the seventeen years since the target was set in 1988.
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Its volunteers throughout the world have helped organize national immunization days, staffed health stations and given drops to children. Rotarians have helped leverage a further US $6.7 billion from the governments the world over for this cause.
In India since the campaign was launched the disease incidence has reduced to ‘Zero ‘at present.
Indian Rotarians are also contributing to the program by donating large funds and in kind support. During every NID /SNID Indians Rotarians are seen volunteering by manning Polio booths and administering Polio drops to children.
Projects
India Rotary’s India National PolioPlus society (INPPS) has actively been involved in Social Mobilization, media management, and political, bureaucratic and religious advocacy to make Polio immunization widely acceptable. Successfully gaining access to children who have never been reached before is an integral component of Rotary PolioPlus commitment.
The Govt. of the National Capital Territory of Delhi took the initiative of launching the first Pulse Polio Immunisation in 1994. The Govt. of India followed suit a year later in 1995-96, by designating two National Immunisation Days (NIDs). Since then series of NIDs have been conducted successfully. In 1999, this programme was intensified in order to meet the global deadline. The number of NIDs were increased and "House to House" strategy was adopted to reach every child. In 2001 the strategy of intensive Mop-up immunisation was also introduced to interrupt the wild Polio virus circulation in endemic districts. In 2001-02 as many as 159 million children between the ages of 0 to 5 were immunised. In 2002 again, 1600 cases were reported which was a major outbreak that originated in western Uttar Pradesh and spread to many other states, most of which had been free of polio for more than one year. In February 2016 Livermore Rotary Club member Beth Wilson recently participated in a Rotary-sponsored trip to India to help inoculate some of the 170 million children there who were given polio drops in its twice-yearly National Immunization Day.
Between 1991 and 1994, immunisation drives in the form of Shishu Suraksha Diwas (Child Protection Days) were organized all over India by Rotary Clubs and Rotarians in their respective areas. Besides this, Rotary started vigorous and consistent advocacy efforts and eventually succeeded in convincing the Govt. of India about the need for launching Pulse Polio immunisation all over the country, to emulate what had been successfully done in several other countries.
Nearly 7000 polio-inflicted children have been operated upon and rehabilitated through 82 camps held in different endemic states of the country. Similarly free health camps are being organized by Rotary in different districts to cater to the urgent health needs of the people including Polio immunization.
In 2010, with increasing threat of virus outbreak in Ludhiana, Punjab; Malegaon, Maharashtra; Murshidabad, West Bengal, U.P and Bihar, Rotary Task Force Committee have been formed and the State Govts. are being supported with IEC materials – vaccine carriers, marker pens, cap/aprons, cold boxes, etc. – and free general health camps in affected districts are being conducted.
Rotary also makes extensive use of various IEC materials, such as comic books, video vans, banners and posters, etc., to publicize the cause of polio eradication.
Timeline
1580-1350 BC: An Egyptian tablet portrays a priest with a withered leg, suggesting Polio dates back to ancient times and has been paralysing people for centuries.
1840: German doctor Jacob von Heine investigates and suggests polio may be contagious.
1894: An outbreak of infantile paralysis – subsequently identified as polio – sweeps the United States.
1916: The New York Polio epidemic receives worldwide attention, accelerating researchintopolio.
1948: Thomas Weller and Frederick Robbins grow poliovirus in cells, for which they later receive Nobel Prize.
1952: Dr. Jonas Salk develops the first vaccine against polio – an injectable, inactivated (killed) polio vaccine.
1961: Dr Albert Sabin develops an” oral polio vaccine (OPV) using attenuated poliovirus. The OPV rapidly becomes the vaccine of choice against polio.
1972: Dr. Albert Sabin the inventor of OPV in a humanitarian gesture gives strains of Poliovirus to Rotary who further donates these to World Health Organization to increase their availability to developing countries.
1979 : Rotary makes a 5-year pledge to immunize six million children in the Philippines against Polio.
1985: Rotary International pledges USD120 million to its fund, PolioPlus and raised USD 240 million.
1986: Rotary provides USD 2.6 million grant to Tamil Nadu (India) for a pilot Polio vaccination campaign.
1988: The World Health Assembly launches the Global Polio Eradication Initiative - (GPEI).
1994: The Regional Commission certifies the Americas polio-free. A pilot Polio immunization activity is conducted in Delhi targeting 1.4 million children in the age groupof 0–3 years.
1995: Govt. of India launches its first nationwide polio campaign - NID (National Immunization Day), immunizing 88 million children in the agegroupof 0–3 years.
1996: NIDs conducted covering children up to the age of five years.
1997: National Polio Surveillance Project, a WHO and Government of India collaboration, set up for poliovirus surveillance.
1999: Polio immunization activities intensified - house to house polio vaccination starts. Type P2 wild poliovirus eradicated from India and the World. The India Expert Advisory Group for polio constituted to guide the programme to achieve polio eradication in India.
2000: The Western Pacific Region is certified polio-free. A record 550 million children receive oral polio vaccine.
2001: UNICEF sets up Social Mobilization Network in Uttar Pradesh to mobilize community for accepting polio immunization.
2001-2002: Taking over from private donors, the Government of India takes the lead role in financing Polio eradication activities in the country using its own resources.
2002: Rotary International hosts Polio Summit in India to accelerate Polio eradication. Also, European Region is certified polio-free.
2003: Under-served strategy introduced as part of the communication strategy in IndiabyUNICEF.
2004: The strategy to vaccinate children in transit is launched. Rotary International hosts its hugely successful Polio Summit the second time.
2005: The more effective monovalent oral polio vaccines (mOPV) introduced in polio programme by Govt. of India.
2006: Enumeration, vaccination and trackingofallnewbornsbeginsinUP and Bihar. Operational strengthening to improve micro-planning for revisits to households with unvaccinated children after first contact with vaccinators.
2007: Rotary's constant bridge building efforts with the minority community helps in creating Rotary' Muslim Ulema Committee in Uttar Pradesh to garner support and leadership from the community towards polio eradication.
2007: Accelerated immunization rounds, almost every month, using the more efficient mOPVs begin in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Tracking newborns for polio vaccination begins. Identification and immunization of migratory populations to minimize the risk of virus spread from the remaining endemic states.
2008: Efforts intensify in Bihar's high- risk blocks under the 'Kosi-river plan'.
2009 : The 107 Block Planidentifies highest risk blocks of UP and Bihar for intensified, focused approach addressing polio associated risk factors by promoting routine immunization, hand washing, sanitation, diarrhea management withzinc and ORS and exclusive breast-feeding up to six months of age. Intensive focus on coverage of migrant populations in brick kilns construction sites, urban slums and in nomadic settlements initiated.
2009: Rotary pledges to match USD 200 million against Gates' Foundations USD 355 million.
2010: Bivalent oral polio vaccine tested and introduced by Govt. of India. IMB (Independent Monitoring Board) launched by WHO and the Executive Board to evaluate progress made by GPEI. India Expert Advisory Group on polio eradication recommends responding to any wild poliovirus detection as a public health emergency.
2011: Last incidenceof Polio reported in Howrah, West Bengal on 13 January 2011. Aggressive mopping up vaccination inresponse to the only case in the country...
2012: February, Rotary International jointly with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, hosts Polio Summit 2012to renew commitment and efforts to ending Polio. On February 25, during the Summit, India is removed from the list of polio endemic countries by WHO. May, at the Rotary International Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, it is announced that Rotary has successfully raised USD 228.7 million against the Gate's Challenge grant of USD 200 million. The Gates' Foundation recognizing this amazing match makes an additional USD 50 million contribution.
2013: January, en route to regional Polio- free certification in 2014, India completes twoyearwithoutacaseof Polio.
2013: World Polio Day on 23 October, commemorated across India by Rotary to throw light on the importance of ending Polio. 'End Polio Now' on iconic buildings illuminated across popular landmarks like India Gate, Red Fort in Delhi, Taj Ends Land and Kanchiguda Railway Station in Hyderabad amongst others.
2014: India completes three-year sans Polio on January 13. Rotary celebrates nationwide with illumination of iconic buildings like India Gate, Red Fort, Agra Fort and Junagarh Palace.
In Media
Then, certain sections of Muslims were opposed to the idea of giving polio drops to their younger ones."They spread two rumours. That the vaccine had parts of animals in it, so it would be haram [forbidden] under Islam, and that it was a plot by the US and Indian governments to limit the number of Muslims"[5]
The campaign adopted a two-pronged approach. First, the India National Polio Plus Committee engaged with Muslim clerics by bringing them under one umbrella — the Rotary Muslim Ulema Committee.
Political Front
INPPS has garnered political support for the program by involving the President, the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Health Ministers and local politicians in the program.
Rotary also enlisted bureaucratic support by involving the Cabinet Secretary, the Chief Secretary, the Principal Secretary, District Magistrates and other health officials in the polio campaign.
Rotary approached senior minority leaders such as the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid and the President of All India Muslim Personal Law Board and was successful in enlisting their support. Further INPPC formed a Rotary Muslim Ulema Committee in the state of U.P, consisting of senior Muslim scholars and religious leaders to address issues of resistance amongst Muslim population and appeal to Muslim parents to immunize children against Polio.
Today this Ulema Committee that Rotary helped set up in the State is a vital resource that the U.P. Govt. and other social organizations seek intervention from time to time for their ongoing programs to bring about an overall improvement in the social-economic life of the minority community.
Contributions and Achievements
Humanitarian organizations world over are partnering with Rotary International in their biggest humanitarian initiative to rid the world of Polio. In a major boost to the eradication campaign, the Gates Foundation contributed a whopping US $355 million. Rotary International accepted to raise US $200 million against the Gates Foundation grant by June 2012. Rotary help raise the matching grant exceeding the challenge.
On 13 January 2012, India will have surpassed one year without detecting a single case of wild poliovirus. On March 27, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to certify India as a polio free country, marking more than three years since the last case of polio there.
India had traditionally been considered one of the toughest places in the world to eradicate polio. In 2009, India reported 741 polio cases, more than any other country in the world. In 2010, India reported just 42 cases out of 1,352 cases reported globally.
Google.org, inspired by Rotary’s efforts donated a sum of US $3.5 million to the Polio eradication effort worldwide to Rotary Foundation. In India The Aditya Birla Group with its patron Smt. Rajashree Birla who is an honorary member of Rotary Club Mumbai has contributed US $9 million. Ms. Usha Mittal (of Arcellor Mittal Group) has donated to Rotary a total contribution of USD 1.5 million towards Polio eradication fund. And Rtn. Harshad Mehta, Chairman of Rosy Blue Diamond has contributed more than US $3.5 million.
In January 2014, India completed three years without a case of Polio and along with 10 SEAR countries was awarded the Southeast Asia Regional Polio-free certification by WHO on 27 March 2014.
Rotary is supplying material to Govt. of India to improve upon the Rotary Immunization level.