UNICEF celebrates a “Polio Free India” with Goodwill Ambassador Mr Amitabh Bachchan

UNICEF celebrates a “Polio Free India” with Goodwill Ambassador Mr Amitabh Bachchan The event was also presided by the Hon’ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan,​and ​UNICEF India Representative , Mr Louis Georges Arsenault. The evening paid tribute to the Vaccinators and Mobilizers who worked tirelessly in the diverse and remote parts of the country, ensuring that every child under age five was immunized.

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New Delhi, 27 July: To mark India’s landmark achievement of being certified polio-free, UNICEF today celebrated with megastar Amitabh Bachchan who as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Polio, has played a critical role in mobilizing mass support for India’s polio immunization campaign.

Over 1000 men and women from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar’s ‘Social Mobilization Network’ (SmNet) came together for the event presided by the Hon’ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, UNICEF India Representative , Mr Louis Georges Arsenault and superstar Amitabh Bacchan. The evening paid tribute to the Vaccinators and Mobilizers who worked tirelessly in the diverse and remote parts of the country, ensuring that every child under age 5 was immunized.

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, the pioneer of the polio eradication programme in India said, ” India’s feat of being polio-free for three years and receiving WHO certification is indeed a victory for the millions of health and community workers who broke many a barrier to reach out to the unreached children. They are the most powerful voice of the polio eradication movement. They allayed fears and addressed misconceptions. They built partnerships with the local community and religious leadership. It is because of their efforts of going door to door, administering polio vaccine to children and educating people about the importance of the polio vaccine, that India could achieve this success”

In the context of post-polio India, the Minister stressed the need for building up on the pulse polio experience.

 “Let us, in 2014, revive the 1995 spirit. There are many other diseases demanding pulse polio-like missions involving the coming together of the medical community and general society. So let’s all work together to ensure ‘Health for All’ for a better and stronger future,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said.

“India’s success is a cause for celebration – but not complacency. India is polio free but the risk of polio persists. Until the disease is eradicated globally, we need to continue to protect children against the virus and remain in a state of preparedness to respond to any case of poliovirus importation as an emergency,” said, Mr Louis-Georges Arsenault.

Commending Mr Bachchan’s unstinted support towards the cause, he said, “Mr Bachchan has been the face of polio’s mass media campaigns for over a decade. His one-liner “do boond zindagi ki” (two drops of polio vaccine) has been one of the most effective messages in the fight against polio. It had been critical in persuading parents and care-givers to give their children polio vaccines.”

Each year, around 2.3 million lakh vaccinators, led by 155,000 supervisors, visit 209 million households to administer the polio vaccine during each of these campaigns. Nearly a billion doses of oral polio vaccine are consumed during the campaigns annually.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Bachchan said, “India’s present polio-free status is a matter of great pride. I feel privileged to have been part of the anti-polio campaign. I am delighted that our efforts in spreading awareness and mobilizing communities for polio vaccination have been successful. But this fight was not an easy one. We must thank the thousands of UNICEF supported SMNet Mobilizers and Government vaccinators who have made this victory possible.”

India was certified polio-free in February 2014-- a feat it accomplished overcoming several challenges including population density, high rates of migration, poor sanitation, high birth rates, and low rates of routine immunization in the highest risk states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

However, it must maintain vigilance against any importation of polio until eradication is achieved globally

Mr Arsenault thanked all partners and donors associated with the polio prorgamme – Rotary International, WHO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Core group of NGOs, USAID, JICA and GAVI and acknowledged the contribution of the Aligarh Muslim University and the Jamia Milia Islamia in garnering support of the underserved communities.

Rotary International Past President, Mr Kalyan Banerjee and WHO Representative to India, Dr Nata Menabde were also present at the function.

For further information please visit, Polio Learning Exchange website – www.iple.in

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do.  Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. 

For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org and www.unicef.org/india

For more information, please contact:

• Shamila Sharma,91- 981-041 0132 Communication Specialist Polio,  UNICEF India,      Tel: +91-, Email: shsharma@unicef.org

• Geetanjali Master, Communication Specialist, UNICEF India,Tel: 91-981 810 5861, E-mail: gmaster@unicef.org

• Sonia Sarkar, Communication Officer- Media, UNICEF India,Tel: +91-981 017 0289, E-mail: ssarkar@unicef.org