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| Rotarian Bukola Bakare |
On World Polio Day 2026, observed every October 24 to mark the birthday of polio vaccine pioneer Dr. Jonas Salk, Rotarian Bukola Bakare, District Governor of Rotary International District 9111, issued a clear and urgent appeal to Nigerian parents: vaccinate your children completely and on time. No child, she stressed, should face irreversible paralysis from a disease that vaccines can prevent.
Her statement, released as Nigeria joined the global commemoration, goes beyond ceremonial messaging. It reflects a hard-won national milestone tempered by ongoing local risks, the unfinished business of global eradication, and the practical work Rotary clubs continue to do on the ground in Lagos, Ogun, and surrounding areas.
The theme referenced in her message—“A Chance for Reflection and a Reminder to Reach Every Last Child”—echoes earlier Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) framing that still resonates, even as the 2026 international campaign centers on “One day, one focus: ending polio for good.”
From Celebration to Caution: Nigeria’s Polio Journey
Nigeria was certified free of wild poliovirus by the World Health Organization in 2020, after the last cases were detected in Borno State in 2016. That achievement closed a long and difficult chapter.
Africa as a whole was declared free of indigenous wild poliovirus the same year. It represented years of intense vaccination campaigns, improved surveillance, political commitments (including the 2009 Abuja Commitments signed by all 36 state governors), and the work of health workers, traditional and religious leaders, volunteers, and partners including Rotary, WHO, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
Bakare, a mother and grandmother, recalled that celebration while warning against complacency. “We celebrated when Nigeria was declared free of wild poliovirus, and rightly so.
It was the result of years of hard work by health workers, volunteers, government agencies, Rotary members and many other organisations. But we must understand that being certified free of wild poliovirus does not mean we should stop vaccinating our children. The danger has not completely disappeared.”
The remaining danger is primarily circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV). These variants can emerge and spread in communities with low immunization coverage. Reports in 2026 indicated dozens of cVDPV cases in Nigeria—figures cited in public health commentary ranged around 47 cVDPV2 cases and additional cVDPV3 detections by mid-to-late year, with paralysis occurring in children who had not received full protection.
Independent monitoring bodies have described Nigeria as a key remaining focus for variant virus transmission in the African region, underscoring gaps in routine immunization quality, campaign reach, and surveillance in some high-risk areas, particularly in the north.
Polio has no cure. It is highly contagious, primarily affects children under five, and can cause permanent paralysis or, in severe cases, death when it attacks the respiratory muscles. The National Primary Health Care Development Agency continues to emphasize complete, timely immunization with both oral polio vaccine (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) as the best protection.
The Global Picture: 99% Progress, Final Mile Still Hard
Globally, cases of wild poliovirus have fallen more than 99% since the GPEI launched in 1988, when the disease paralyzed an estimated 350,000 children a year across more than 125 countries. Wild poliovirus type 1 remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2026, Afghanistan recorded a significant rise in cases (around 42 by mid-to-late October in some tallies), while Pakistan reported far fewer. Two of the three wild poliovirus serotypes have already been eradicated.
Yet variant polioviruses continue to cause outbreaks in parts of Africa and elsewhere. Progress is real—outbreaks have been closed in several African countries in 2026, and hundreds of millions of vaccine doses have been delivered—but funding pressures, conflict, fragile health systems, population movement, and immunization gaps keep the virus alive in pockets. Experts repeatedly note that as long as poliovirus circulates anywhere, every unvaccinated child remains at risk of importation or local emergence of variants.
Rotary International has been central to this effort since the late 1970s. It launched the PolioPlus program in 1985 and became a founding partner of the GPEI. Over four decades, Rotarians have contributed billions of dollars, countless volunteer hours for campaigns, public education, and advocacy. In Nigeria, Rotary’s National PolioPlus Committee and district-level work have supported both the push that achieved wild-polio-free status and the ongoing fight against variants.
Local Action and Practical Barriers
Bakare highlighted specific Rotary activities in District 9111 (and collaboration with District 9112): a Polio Boat Regatta held on October 17, 2026, and a planned Polio Awareness Train Ride from Lagos to Abeokuta on October 31. These events combine public education, visibility, and fundraising for the End Polio Now campaign.
She called on corporate organizations, philanthropists, and ordinary citizens to contribute—through donations, accurate information-sharing, or simply encouraging parents to vaccinate. “You do not have to be a Rotarian to support the fight against polio… Even the smallest effort can make a difference.”
She placed special emphasis on reaching children in rural and underserved communities.
“A child living in a remote village deserves the same protection as a child living in Lagos, Abuja or any major city.” Access barriers, limited reliable health information, and the sheer logistics of reaching every household remain real challenges. Misinformation and vaccine hesitancy compound them.
Bakare urged parents and caregivers to seek guidance from qualified health professionals rather than rumors and to cooperate fully with vaccination teams. “Make sure your children receive all the recommended doses. Do not allow fear or rumours to put their future at risk.”
Public health specialists have pointed to additional structural issues in Nigeria: incomplete routine immunization coverage, variable quality of supplementary immunization activities, and surveillance gaps that can allow viruses to circulate undetected for periods (sometimes appearing as “orphan” genetic lineages).
Sustaining political and financial commitment at federal, state, and local levels is essential, particularly where children are most likely to miss doses.
Why This Message Matters Now
World Polio Day is both celebration and pressure point. The dramatic reduction in cases demonstrates what coordinated science, funding, community trust, and political will can achieve. Nigeria’s own history—from high case numbers to wild-polio-free certification—shows that large-scale change is possible when leaders, health workers, traditional authorities, and parents align. The persistence of variant cases shows that progress is reversible if immunization intensity drops.
Bakare’s appeal is grounded in that dual reality. As a Rotarian leading a major district and as a parent and grandmother, she frames vaccination not as a distant global target but as an immediate parental and societal responsibility.
Governments must keep supporting immunization programs. Media can help counter misconceptions with accurate reporting. Health workers and volunteers who travel difficult distances deserve recognition and continued backing. And every parent has the power to close the gap for their own child.
The path to a polio-free world is narrower than it has ever been, yet the final stretch remains demanding. Reaching every last child—whether in a Lagos neighborhood, a northern community, or a remote village—requires the same sustained focus that brought Nigeria its 2020 certification.
On this World Polio Day, the message from District 9111 is straightforward and practical: vaccinate the children, support the systems that deliver the vaccines, reject misinformation, and finish the job. The tools exist. The history of progress is real. The remaining cases of preventable paralysis are a reminder that the work is not yet complete.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers Global, News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Politics and Technology.
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