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…holds Polio-Plus Seminar in Anambra
From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The Rotary Club International District 9142 has said that it will continue to fight against Polio to bring it to a zero level in communities across the world.
The group said it has made incredible progress in the fight against Polio across the world despite daunting challenges.
Some Stakeholders and Resource Persons of the Organization stated this during the Polio-Plus Seminar 2023 held at the ASUU Secretariat, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka where they converged on to brainstorm on ways of surmounting the daunting challenges faced in the total eradication of Polio virus from the face of the earth.
The stakeholders agreed that Rotary had recorded remarkable progress in the reduction of polio cases by ninety-nine percent of over thirty-five years.
The seminar drew participants from all the South East District member states including a representative of the president of Rotary International, Polio plus coordinators as well as Coordinators from Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.
The field Coordinator of Polio Plus in Southern Nigeria, Rotarian Gbenga Olayiwole in a lecture noted that although the World Health Organization has declared that five of the WHO’s six regions representing more than 90 percent of the world’s population, are now free of the disease, there was need to maintain zero percent reoccurrence.
He, however, regretted that Polio virus is still endemic in some countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan, both in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region.
Rotarian Olayiwole further emphasised that the event was necessitated by the need to remind Rotarians of their duties and responsibilities to ensure that Polio is completely eradicated from the face of the Earth.
The Chairperson Organizing committee for the 2023 District 9142 Polio Seminar, Rotarian Olachi Emegakor who is also former Assistant Governor of Rotary International, the event was being organized yearly to celebrate the milestone achieved in Polio eradication as well as ensuring that there was no reoccurrence of the virus in most communities.
While enumerating some factors and challenges militating against the eradication of the virus, she expressed dismay at the difficulty encountered by health workers in reaching out to every child for vaccination ranging
from religious beliefs to conflicts and insecurity among others .
In their separate paper presentations, PDG Andy Uwajeyan, and Mr Hillary Ozor lauded the coordination and cooperation between governments, UN Agencies, WHO, Civil Society organizations, health workers and Rotarians in working tirelessly towards supporting the global effort to end polio.
Earlier in a remark, the District Governor, Rotary District 9142, Rotarian Akan Emah emphasized the need for Nigeria to maintain the zero percent level of polio since the attainment and certification as a Polio free country two years ago.
On the essence of funding for vaccination, the Vice Chancellor Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Professor Charles Esimone enjoined members to give freely to Rotary assuring them of transparency and accountability in the judicious use of their resources .
In an interview, one of the Participants and member representing Njikoka II Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr Jude Akpua harped on cleanliness and sanitation as ways of preventing the spread of the virus, noting that the legislative arm was enacting quality laws which are in tandem with the Soludo Agenda in maintaining a clean, green environment.
For Mrs Nnenne Okwuchukwu, the adverse effects of not administering Polio vaccine on children, Rotary remains unrelenting in it’s funding untill Polio is kicked out worldwide.
The Polio-plus activities in Awka includes Advocacy Visits, Road walk by the participants which was led by the wife of Anambra State Dr. Nonye Soludo red and the symbolic Immunization of children by the District Governor, Rtn Akan Emah.
