Members of Rotary International in Rwanda and the PolioPlus committee have called for polio vaccination to fully eradicate the disease as the world prepares to mark World Polio Day on October 24.

Although the country was declared polio-free in 2004, they said that sustained vaccination was still needed to make sure the disease could not resurface.

The call was made on Thursday, October 22 as members held a discussion on global efforts to eradicate polio, and plans for the upcoming Rotary Walk Against Polio due in Kigali on Sunday during Car-Free Day.

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This year’s campaign is being held under the theme, "One Day, One Focus: Ending Polio for Good.”

Rotary is celebrating 45 years of efforts to eradicate polio, marking an important milestone. Over these years, Rwanda received polio-free certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2004. The last recorded case of wild poliovirus in the country was detected in 1993.

Africa has also been declared free of wild poliovirus, and the world is 99.9% close to eradicating the disease. However, two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, are still reporting polio cases.

The latest detection was reported on October 20 in Pakistan, showing that people are still being affected by the poliovirus today.

According to research, children under five are particularly vulnerable, while people who have not received the recommended polio vaccines remain at risk of infection.

Marc D’Haenen, chair of PolioPlus in Rwanda, warned that poliovirus can be reintroduced through traveler.

"Despite significant progress, the fight against polio is not over,” he said, calling for continued vaccination to protect children and communities.

"Our message to the public today is clear: Please ensure that your children are vaccinated against polio.”

He added that low vaccination coverage could allow the poliovirus to spread and cause outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus.

This can happen in some countries affected by conflict, where there are large numbers of refugees and access to vaccination is limited. Under these circumstances, vaccine-derived poliovirus can emerge and spread.

He said health authorities and their partners need to continue to encourage routine immunisation, additional vaccination campaigns and surveillance to detect the spread of the poliovirus.

He added that as long as polio has not been eradicated worldwide, vaccination must continue. "It is absolutely essential," he said.

When can polio be declared eradicated?

D’Haenen said global eradication requires stopping the spread of wild poliovirus worldwide.

"To declare polio eradicated, there must be at least three consecutive years without wild poliovirus transmission, supported by effective surveillance to detect any remaining cases,” he explained.

He said poliovirus spreads from person to person and does not naturally survive in animals.

"When the three years have passed, the virus is gone. People who previously contracted polio may continue to experience long-term effects, including paralysis and other disabilities but they don&039;t carry the virus anymore.”

He said health authorities must ensure that the virus is no longer circulating before considering any changes to vaccination programmes.

Causes and symptoms of polio?

Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, is caused by virus called poliovirus. This highly contagious virus can attack the nervous system and cause permanent paralysis.

Dr Alexis Muderevu, national chair of the Polio Eradication Commission for all rotary clubs in Rwanda, said the virus spreads mainly through poor hygiene, especially when people consume contaminated food or water, or through touching contaminated objects or hands and eating without washing hands.

Although most infected people do not develop noticeable symptoms, some may experience fever, fatigue, headache, nausea and muscle pain. In severe cases, the virus can affect the nervous system, causing sudden muscle weakness or paralysis.

Rotary walk

The walk scheduled for Sunday will start from BK Arena at 7:00 a.m., with a warm-up session before participants begin the walk at 7:30 a.m. towards the Kigali Convention Centre. After the walk, participants will have time to interact and share ideas at Lemigo Hotel, starting at 11:30 a.m.