- Polio remains a threat as long as unvaccinated children exist
- Recent efforts in Gaza showcase resilience in tackling outbreaks
- Global eradication is achievable with continued commitment and vaccination
Every year, around the globe the last Thursday of October is marked as the World Polio Day, the commemoration of the day is an opportunity to increase awareness and support for the polio eradication campaign. This day is an essential time when public and civil society organizations can raise awareness of changes and their accomplishments as well as gaps that need to be closed in order to fight polio (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
World Polio Day 2024 – a chance for reflection and a reminder to reach every last child
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Drawing Attention to Polio
Rotary International and its members around the World are using World Polio Day 2024 to draw attention to the present state of the eradication campaign. They are raising awareness of the measures taken in order to achieve a world free of polio.
2024 is an important year in the battle against polio, it is presented as a brief discussion of some of the oral vaccines that have been developed to counter the illness.
The recent emergence of variant poliovirus type 2 in Gaza reminds us all of the persistent danger of polio in every country: There is no satisfactory peace until the virus has been eradicated in all the affected parts of the world.
Nevertheless, the response in Gaza has also proved similarly positive and has fully endorsed the commitment to global eradication. Nevertheless, two phases of the outbreak response campaigns were completed in September and October, during which more than 550,000 children were administered polio vaccines and other appropriate and mandatory health services. This has now been done, and it can only be seen that even when put into the worst situations, a polio-free world is achievable. If it can happen in Gaza then it can happen anywhere in the world.
Looking Forward: Reaching the Last Child
World Polio Day 2024 is not only about the celebration of accomplishment; it is also about mobilizing people and reminding everyone around the globe of the commitment to finish the job.
The truth about polio is that no longer is there any technical, medical, or biological impediment to the final strangulation of the virus. The equipment has been developed, the information is available, and elimination is possible. What is left now is to immunize every child in the few areas where polio is still endemic. The minute we accomplish that, the polio virus is extirpated – not a second earlier, nor a second later.
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As we observe World Polio Day, it is essential to focus all efforts on one crucial goal: In the simplest terms how to reach every last child with the polio vaccine. Of course, achieving success in this mission will be quite natural, and thereafter polio will completely vanish from the world.
Reference:
- World Polio Day 2024 – a chance for reflection and a reminder to reach every last child – (https://polioeradication.org/news/world-polio-day-2024-a-chance-for-reflection-and-a-reminder-to-reach-every-last-child/)
Source-Medindia
