Tue | Oct 21, 2025

Rotary declares fight to end polio far from over

Ahead of World Polio Day, MoBay past president urges continued vigilance against disease

Published:Monday | October 20, 2025 | 12:07 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
Dominica Pradere, past president of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay.
Dominica Pradere, past president of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay.

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dominica Pradere, past president of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay, says the global campaign to eradicate poliomyelitis, commonly known as polio, is far from complete, and is calling for renewed public engagement and sustained vaccination.

Pradere also cautioned that, despite monumental progress in the worldwide eradication initiative, the disease remains a threat until it is eliminated everywhere. World Polio Day will be observed on October 24, 2025.

“We are still working to eradicate polio in every corner of the world. Every October, Rotary clubs focus on polio, informing their communities about the disease and its prevention, emphasising the need for funding if polio is to be successfully eradicated,” she said.

Pradere highlighted the fact that the campaign represents one of Rotary International’s most enduring humanitarian commitments, while noting that complacency could jeopardise decades of hard-won progress.

“Few Jamaicans today have any personal experience of this disease,” said Pradere. “Jamaica experienced a significant polio outbreak in 1982, but has successfully eradicated the virus since its last recorded case that year. Jamaica became polio-free due to our highly effective immunisation schedule, which ensures that, by the age of six, every child should have a lifetime immunity to polio.”

While Jamaica’s public health record remains exemplary, Pradere warned that the risk of reintroduction persists, given the frequency of international travel and migration.

“We should not become complacent. We receive many visitors from around the world daily, and many Jamaicans travel overseas. The virus could become reintroduced to Jamaica unless everyone here and abroad is immunised,” she said.

Pradere further explained that a person infected with the polio virus might display few or no symptoms, yet still, transmit the disease to those who are unvaccinated, particularly infants and young children.

“To eliminate the risk of polio outbreaks here and abroad, the virus needs to be eradicated everywhere. This is the goal and the promise of Rotary International,” she said.

Tracing Rotary’s leadership in the global campaign, she described how local volunteerism evolved into a multinational public health movement.

SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVE

“In 1978, Rotary International began assisting with the immunisation of children in the Philippines. The success of that initiative inspired similar efforts in other countries. By 1985, Rotary launched ‘PolioPlus’, its signature international project,” she said.

At the launch of PolioPlus, more than 1,000 children were becoming paralysed by polio each day in 125 endemic countries. The creation of PolioPlus transformed that reality, with Rotary joining forces in 1988 with the WHO (World Health Organization) and UNICEF (United Nation Children’s Fund), and other agencies to form the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

“Since then, more than 2.5 billion children have been immunised against polio through the cooperation of more than 200 countries and 20 million volunteers. Today, wild polio virus continues to circulate in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and global incidence has decreased by 99 per cent.”

Despite these gains, Pradere warned that “the final steps are always the hardest”, underscoring that eradication efforts demand continuous funding, vigilant surveillance, and public education.

“We are closer than ever before to making history by wiping polio from the face of the Earth once and for all. Rotary’s promise to the world was bold, to end polio forever, and it remains unwavering,” she said.

Pradere is urging Jamaicans to support Rotary’s efforts by promoting immunisation and contributing to the PolioPlus fund.

“Every vaccine given, every dollar raised, every conversation shared brings us one step closer to a future where no parent fears the word ‘polio’, and every child can run, play, and dream without the shadow of paralysis,” she said.

As World Polio Day approaches, Pradere emphasised that the movement represents both hope and historical achievement.

“On this World Polio Day, we remember how far we have come and recommit to the finish line. Together, with compassion, courage, and collective will, we can make history. Let us finish what we started. We are on a mission to immunise all the unvaccinated children in the world, until polio is no more,” she added.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com

Fact Box: Rotary’s Polio Eradication Timeline

1950s – Two safe and effective vaccines for poliomyelitis were developed in the United States, leading to widespread immunisation campaigns.

1978 – Rotary International begins supporting child immunisation in the Philippines, laying the groundwork for a global effort.

1985 – PolioPlus is launched, Rotary’s first and largest international service project, dedicated to eradicating polio worldwide.

1988 – Rotary joins forces with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, and others to establish the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

2000s – Over 2 billion children are vaccinated; most regions, including the Caribbean, are certified polio-free.

2020 – Africa is declared free of wild poliovirus, leaving only Afghanistan and Pakistan as endemic countries.

2025 – Rotary and its partners continue working to reach the final one per cent of cases, striving to make polio the second human disease in history to be eradicated.