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…call for renewed political will, sustained funding, community engagement

By Gloria Ikibah

The President of Rotary International, Francesco Arezzo, has urged governments and health partners to ensure at least 97 per cent of children under five are immunised against polio, describing it as the decisive step needed to wipe out the disease for good.

Speaking in Abuja after a high-level briefing, Arezzo emphasised that maintaining consistently high vaccination coverage remains the backbone of eradication efforts. He indicated that achieving between 90 and 97 per cent coverage among young children is not merely a target but a necessity if the world is to consign polio to history.

The briefing was delivered by the Chairman of the Nigerian National PolioPlus Committee, Rotarian Joshua Hassan, who outlined Nigeria’s ongoing strategies to prevent any resurgence of the virus and sustain surveillance systems nationwide.

Arezzo praised Africa’s certification as a polio-free continent as one of global public health’s landmark achievements. However, he warned that the job is not yet complete, calling for renewed political will, sustained funding and community-level engagement to eliminate the remaining pockets of infection worldwide.

With cases now confined to a handful of regions, Rotary leaders believe the end of polio is within reach — provided immunisation rates do not slip and international momentum is maintained.

“At the time, Africa was considered one of the most difficult regions to eliminate polio, while India was widely regarded as ‘impossible’.

“However, through sustained collaboration and commitment, both regions overcame the odds. In 2020, Africa was officially declared polio-free,” he said.

President Arezzo acknowledged that, despite remarkable headway, polio has yet to be stamped out completely. The disease remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, though outbreaks are now largely restricted to limited areas.

Recent health data also indicate that Nigeria and several other nations have reported instances of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus. Even so, infection rates are trending downwards, offering cautious optimism to health authorities and global partners.

The Rotary International leader linked the downturn in cases to the rollout of a more genetically stable oral vaccine introduced in recent years. The updated formula has helped curb the risk of mutations, a problem that can arise in communities where immunisation coverage falls short.

Yet the gains have not come without sacrifice. Between 2012 and 2025, 76 individuals engaged in vaccination drives across Nigeria lost their lives, underlining the dangers faced by frontline health workers in the push to eradicate the virus once and for all.

“In Pakistan, 382 vaccination workers have been killed. These are tragic sacrifices that must not be in vain. We have to honour their memories by finishing this campaign,” he said.

Arezzo has pointed to lingering community resistance and the spread of false information as stubborn obstacles in the final stretch towards ending polio.

He believes the answer lies in deeper engagement at grassroots level — working closely with religious figures, traditional rulers and trusted voices online to steady public confidence. With many families now turning to their mobile phones for news and advice, he stressed the need to confront misleading claims swiftly and promote accurate health information where it matters most.

With the arrival of a more robust vaccine and immunisation rates climbing in many high-risk areas, he maintains that the tools to eliminate the virus are firmly in place. What is required now is sustained commitment and public trust to finish the job.

“So my only call to action is to work together and maintain a rate of immunisation of over 90 per cent of the children in all countries of the world until we finish the campaign,” he said.

The Chairman of the Nigerian National PolioPlus Committee, Rotarian Joshua Hassan, said the committee has stepped up advocacy across all tiers of government, while also engaging traditional rulers, faith leaders, influencers and other key stakeholders to amplify the message on the value of polio vaccination.

According to him, that broad-based backing has played a decisive role in pushing the disease to the brink of elimination in Nigeria. He noted, however, that hurdles remain in certain states where insecurity, including banditry and kidnapping, continues to disrupt health campaigns. Reaching nomadic populations has also posed logistical difficulties, particularly in mapping and tracking migration routes.

As part of his visit, the President of Rotary International, Francesco Arezzo, stopped at a primary health clinic in Area 2, Abuja. There, alongside former district governors and the District Governor of 9127, Joy Okoro, he took part in the symbolic administration of oral polio vaccines to infants.

The visit formed one of several engagements lined up during his tour of the country. After placing the familiar two drops into the mouths of babies at the clinic, Arezzo reflected on the significance of each vaccination, noting that every child reached brings the world a step closer to consigning polio to history.

“This is, for us, the great result that we are looking for. We don’t ask better than to immunise a child, because each of these vaccines is a step toward the eradication of polio”, he said.

On her part, Okoro expressed happiness that they were not left out.

“We are still fighting polio to make sure that the polio virus is totally eradicated in Nigeria.

“Of course, we’ve been certified polio free, but we are having children every now and then. So the fight is still on. We still have to be going to the field and show our presence at all times,” she said.

The Matron, Primary Health Clinic, Deborah Anyanwu, praised Rotary International for its efforts in eradicating polio in Nigeria.

“They have helped in making mothers to bring out their children every time to be immunised.

“As they came today, we can see mothers from all over the place. They are around to see that their children are immunised and I commend them for that.

“We’re continuing the advocacy; we’re continuing the sensitisation and giving health talk to let them know that actually, the polio vaccines are really working.

“So our own is just to continue to advise them, to continue to make sure that they bring their children for immunisation,” Anyanwu said.