Scholarly Meet

E
radication of polio involved many strategies. The one big challenge that we came across while advocating the use of the oral polio vaccine, was the lack of knowledge about the vaccine amongst parents. Every mother or father who wants to take their children to an immunisation booth had to be thoroughly informed about the need to administer the vaccine to the children and the effects of exposing the kid to polio-virus if the drops are not taken. India, being a large country with a vast majority of people living in rural and semi-urban areas, the challenge was to take the message correctly to the communities. Due to a combination of factors, we found that the Muslim community harboured certain doubts about the oral poliovaccine. As huge pockets of the areas where these people lived were out-ofbounds for health workers and poliovaccinators, the Government of India and the other partners in the global polio eradication programme were genuinely concerned. That was when Rotary decided to talk to the elite Ulemas of the Muslim community. These scholars, who came together to listen to Rotarys advocacy meetings, went back thoroughly impressed about the vaccines properties to prevent polio-virus from lurking inside a child. All their misgivings about the myths that surrounded the vaccine were cleared. The birth of the Ulema Committee in 2007 paved the way for speedy eradication of polio in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra and in 2012 India became polio-free for one full year. To reinforce Rotarys commitment, a meeting of the Ulemas was held on March 30, 2012 at Meerut, RI District 3100, in Uttar Pradesh. It was heartening to see over 200 Ulemas

coming together with the End Polio Now logo on their dress. Speaking in one voice every Ulema said that they will work towards eradicating polio from India and the world! They reiterated their faith in Rotary and said that they will join any task force that is formed for polio-eradication. Some quoted the holy book Koran and said that protecting children was the best service to God. They even criticised those who had been propagating false rumours about the vaccine and said that such people were enemies of God and mankind! Let us look beyond our own community and serve the world, they said. PDG Dr. Brij Bhushan, DGE Sudhir Khanna, DGN Rakesh Singhal, NCM Ajay Saxena and programme coordinator Dr. Arif Khan helped in organising a memorable meeting. The scholars of the Muslim community cheered when they heard that the Government of India recognised their role at the recently concluded Polio Summit 2012 at New Delhi.

I requested their help in ensuring that the region remains polio-free and impressed on the need to strengthen routine immunisation programme through their lectures to the members of the community. Every noble activity needs people who can rise to the occasion when there is a roadblock. The scholars of the Muslim community have shown that their love for the children of India comes first and that they will integrate the message of polio-eradication during their weekly prayer meetings. With scholars on your side can the task of making India and the whole world polio-free be far behind? Rtn. Ashok Mahajan Trustee, The Rotary Foundation Director, Rotary International 20072009 Member, International PolioPlus Committee