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Eradication 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 vac-
cine 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 chal-
lenge was to take the message cor-
rectly to the communities. Due to a
combination of factors, we found that
the Muslim community harboured
certain doubts about the oral polio-
vaccine. As huge pockets of the areas
where these people lived were out-of-
bounds for health workers and polio-
vaccinators, the Government of India
and the other partners in the global
polio eradicat ion 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 Rotary’s advocacy meet-
ings, went back thoroughly impressed
about the vaccine’s properties to pre-
vent 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 Rotary’s commit-
ment, 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 propa-
gating false rumours about the vac-
cine 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 com-
munity 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 dur-
ing 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
2007–2009
Member, International PolioPlus
Committee
Scholarly Meet