Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign
--a special challenge for the year 2002-2003
Frequently Asked Questions
|
|
| ¡@ | ¡@ | ¡@ | ¢w¤W¤@¶¢w | ¡@ |
|
|
Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign --a special challenge for the year 2002-2003 Frequently Asked Questions |
|
|
In the PolioPlus effort of 1986-88, Rotary raised some US$247 million. Why are more funds needed?
If US$275 million is needed, what is the impact of an additional US$80 million from Rotary? Rotary¡¦s additional US$80 million is an important link in eliminating the funding gap as the number one obstacle to victory. A minimum of US$25 million of this money will be used to utilize a matching offer from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank, which will reduce the funding gap at least by US$100 million. In addition, donor governments and the Private Sector Campaign are expected to increase their contributions. Why the urgency to raise the $80 million in one year?It was the unanimous decision of the Board of Directors and the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation that the funding gap must be filled now. The next two years are critical. Delay in finding the last case means that many countries must continue to hold expensive national immunization days as their only means of controlling the disease. Each year¡¦s delay can add more than US$100 million to the cost of the program. How will this money be spent?The Trustees of The Rotary Foundation, who are advised by the 13-member International PolioPlus Committee, will spend the money in a wide range of PEI needs through grants to countries, administered through WHO and UNICEF and supported at grass-roots levels by Rotarians. These include the costs of vaccine, surveillance, laboratories, and operational expenses of national days of immunization. How was the Campaign goal of US$80 million determined?US$25 million is required to meet a US$25 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The remainder will increase the dwindling reserves of the PolioPlus Fund, a fund which plays a vital role in the global financial picture because of its ability to respond quickly to urgent needs and opportunities to advance the polio eradication program. How does the World Bank fit into the picture?Rotary has agreed to a partnership with the World Bank, the Gates Foundation, and the UN Foundation to use the World Bank¡¦s lending capacity to help nations finance polio eradication. The agreement provides that the World Bank will make an International Development Assistance loan to a nation, for polio eradication, with the foreknowledge that this loan will be paid off immediately by private sector funds, including those of Rotary. Such IDA loans, which bear no interest, can be paid off at 40% of the face value of the loan. For example, a US$10 million purchase of oral polio vaccine for a country can be funded in the following way: US$2 million from Rotary (or other private sector source) will be matched by US$2 million from Gates; this US$4 million be increased by an additional US$6 million through an IDA loan. This new partnership is unique, and demonstrates the World Bank¡¦s interest in the Polio Eradication program as a model of effective public/private partnership. How will this Campaign affect contributions to the Annual Programs Fund and The Permanent Fund of The Rotary Foundation? The Board and Trustees fully realize that the Polio Eradication Campaign places an extraordinary challenge before Rotarians worldwide. They are confident, however, that Rotarians can and will respond to this challenge, as well as continue their outstanding support of ongoing Foundation programs. Can donations be in the form of both cash and pledges?Yes. Pledges may be made up to 36 months. Pledges or commitments made during the year 2002-2003 count toward district and club campaign goals. May a district make a contribution to the Polio Eradication Campaign through its District Designated Fund?Yes, such transfers will be counted toward a campaign goal established by the district. Through a program known as ¡§Race to the Finish,¡¨ the Trustees invited districts to make DDF contributions to PolioPlus earlier in this year. This resulted in contributions of more than US$2.4 million. What forms of recognition will be accorded to Rotarians contributing to the Polio Eradication Campaign? All currently applicable forms of recognizing contributions to The Rotary Foundation apply to Campaign contributions, including Paul Harris Fellowships. Are community fundraisers encouraged?Yes. Such fundraisers will raise community awareness¡Xat grass-roots levels¡Xof Rotary¡¦s leadership in the global humanitarian cause. Who are the major partners in the drive? The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children¡¦s Fund (UNICEF), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Rotary International (RI). Supporters of the Initiative include national governments of developing countries; the U.S. Agency for International Development; private foundations such as the United Nations Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the World Bank; donor governments (e.g. Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America); and corporate partners (e.g. Aventis Pasteur and De Beers corporations). Volunteers in developing countries also play a key role; an estimated ten million participated in mass polio immunization campaigns last year. Why has Rotary been so essential to the program? There are now nearly 30,000 Rotary Clubs with 1.2 million members in 197 countries and geographical areas around the world. Leaders in their communities, Rotarians are adept at mobilizing resources and volunteers for National Immunization Days and follow-up activities. Rotary deployed US$462 million since 1985 for global polio eradication, and the total is expected to exceed US$500 million by 2005. Rotary continues to be a leader. It is now the managing partner with the United Nations Foundation in conducting the Polio Eradication Private Sector Campaign, Countdown To A Polio-Free World. In addition, Rotary has led a global advocacy effort, which has resulted in more than US$1 billion in polio-specific grants by donor governments. Could the polio eradication funding gap rise beyond US$275 million? Every year of delay in finding the last case costs an extra US$100 million to US$150 million. This is why funding now is so critical. What are the most powerful reasons to support this campaign? • Eradication will end the need for routine polio immunization and its attendant costs, freeing up US$1.5 billion in savings each year for other health purposes. • No more polio-caused pain, death, or disability. • Eradication throughout the world will prevent polio from spreading back into countries now free of the disease. • Polio immunization programs promote routine immunization for other childhood diseases as well. • Opportunity to be a part of this great humanitarian endeavor. What are some costs of eradication other than vaccine? Transportation of the vaccine and keeping it refrigerated, training staff and volunteers, paying for laboratory equipment and supplies, staff expense, costs of promotion and education to encourage participation, surveillance activities which require collection of stool samples, and transport of materials and personnel are among the numerous costs associated with eradication. Why should I fund eradication of polio rather than something like HIV/AIDS? Polio is actually eradicable. Unlike most other diseases, it cannot survive for long outside the human body. There is an inexpensive and effective vaccine and strategy to provide it. With a final push, this will be the end of polio. Lessons learned from this effort such as how to mobilize community support, a strengthened health network, and disease surveillance systems, as well as an annual financial saving of US$1.5 billion, will all help in the fight against other diseases, once polio is eradicated. How can a contribution be justified to a business corporation?Investment in public health is proven to have a valuable long-term payoff. In short, healthy kids create healthy communities which are essential to healthy economies. This is the first time in history that the private sector has been given the opportunity to participate in the eradication of a disease. Your company can be associated with this legacy. ________________________FACTS ABOUT POLIOWhat is polio?Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. The disease can cause paralysis, which is almost always irreversible. In the most severe cases, polio paralysis can lead to death by asphyxiation. How is it transmitted?The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. How many polio cases occur?During 2001 there were fewer than 600 virologically confirmed wild polio virus cases in the world. Since 1985, the number of cases has fallen by 99%, as ofApril, 2002, only ten countries are reporting transmission of the wild poliovirus. Aren¡¦t children today immunized against polio as babies? Routine immunization protects about 80% of children today, but many have not been reached. In some countries, lack of infrastructure, war, and poverty mean some children are left vulnerable to the virus. Why are only children vaccinated, and not adults?Children under five years of age comprise the most vulnerable population. Is it possible to literally eradicate a disease from the world? Has it ever happened? Yes, it is possible. At one time, 10-15 million cases of smallpox were reported each year. By 1979, the disease had been totally eradicated. Current progress against polio clearly demonstrates that it can be eradicated. How will polio be eradicated?Polio eradication is based on four strategies: • Routine immunization of infants starting with four doses of polio vaccine. • Mass campaigns, known as National Immunization Days (NIDs), during which all children under five years of age are immunized within a few days, regardless of whether they have been immunized before. Two or more rounds of vaccination per year for at least three consecutive years are usually required in polio-endemic countries. • Effective disease surveillance (known as Acute Flaccid Paralysis or ¡§AFP surveillance¡¨) to find and investigate every newly paralyzed child and to determine whether or not poliovirus is the cause of the paralysis. • ¡§Mop-up¡¨ campaigns, often house-to-house, to ensure that every child is immunized and to break the final chains of transmission. When they find a child who has not been immunized, the health workers administer the vaccine on the spot. Why is oral (live) vaccine recommended instead of inactivated (killed) vaccine?Inactivated (Salk) vaccine is used in several countries that have been polio-free for a long time, whereas the oral (Sabin) polio vaccine (OPV) is used in polio-endemic or recently polio-free countries. Because of the high levels of immunity OPV creates, especially in the intestines, OPV is the only vaccine proven to stop transmission in developing countries. OPV is easy to deliver ¡X drops from a vial into the mouth of the child ¡V and thus can be administered by volunteers as well as trained health workers. Furthermore, it promotes ¡§secondary immunization¡¨ ¡X immunized children, who through normal contacts, pass their immunity along to non-immunized youngsters. How will polio eradication benefit other health and immunization efforts? In many countries polio eradication is expanding the capacity to tackle other diseases by building effective disease reporting and surveillance systems, training epidemiologists and establishing a global laboratory network. Tens of thousands of public health workers have been trained to investigate cases of paralysis and manage immunization programs. Many millions of volunteers have been trained to deliver oral polio vaccine and are now more enthusiastic about public health in general. "Cold-chain,¡¨ transport and communications systems for immunization have been strengthened. In 2000, over 50 countries gave vitamin A during polio National Immunization Days. A network of more than 140 polio laboratories has been established and could be used in the fight against other diseases. ________________________
LOOKING AHEADWhat is the strategy for the 2002-2005 phase?The major elements are: intensification of National Immunization Days and mop-up campaigns (including house-to-house immunization); Surveillance and Certification; containment of laboratory stocks; strengthening of routine immunization; and building a consensus strategy for stopping polio immunization. Since 2002-2003 is the most intensified phase, it is also the most expensive. The highest spending on polio activities in the regions where transmission has been interrupted was in the 12-24 months after the last case, because of the addition of mop-ups to the National Immunization Days and intensified surveillance activities. Why did some 20 countries fail to reach the year 2000 target?The primary reasons are lack of access to the children due to conflict situations, extreme poverty and lack of infrastructure; sub-optimal quality of National Immunization Days; below certification-standard surveillance resulting in late detection of infected areas; inadequate funding. Is there a new target date?The target set in 1988 was to see the last case of polio by 2000. Transmission of the virus was successfully stopped in all but 20 countries by 2000, and was stopped in additional 10 countries in 2001. If all goes well, the last case could be found in 2003. Why can¡¦t the governments of these countries eradicate polio themselves? In many polio-endemic countries, up to 85 percent of all immunization and eradication costs actually have been contributed by the national government. The most difficult countries are troubled by conflict or extreme poverty. They face increased costs due to lack of infrastructure or internal displacement of populations, and don¡¦t have the resources to cover expenses. In some conflict-affected or impoverished countries, all vaccine, supplies and equipment must be furnished by donor nations and other bodies including Rotary. What is being done to overcome obstacles in countries affected by conflict? War-torn countries pose a particular challenge to the polio eradication initiative. But the success of the UN Secretary-General and others in establishing "Days of Tranquility" for National Immunization Days (recent examples in DR Congo, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Somalia) has further demonstrated that we can work successfully in these areas. Drawing upon the strengths of the UN Secretary-General, many UN agencies, and other important partners to promote peace and to support logistical operations during a cessation of hostilities, efforts were stepped up in Afghanistan, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Sudan. Such efforts must be sustained until transmission is stopped. What are the results of the global polio eradication program to date? Polio eradication is progressing successfully. The Americas, Western Pacific (including China), and European regions of WHO are free of indigenous wild poliovirus. In the first 13 years since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched in 1988, some 2 billion children were immunized (including over 150 million in a single day in India), the number of cases was reduced by more than 99 percent, and the number of polio-infected countries has dropped from 125 to 10. The year 2001 saw the immunization of 550 million children¡V¡Xmore than 75 percent of all children on earth under the age of 5. Thanks to the polio eradication initiative, more than 4 million children who otherwise would have been paralyzed are now walking and playing normally. How do you ensure that no traces of polio remain in a given country? Surveillance systems identify paralyzed children and check stool samples with laboratory tests. These tests can determine whether or not paralysis is caused by the poliovirus. Mop-up campaigns can then be targeted to eliminate remaining pockets of polio infection with house-to-house immunization visits. How will we know when polio has been eradicated?With proper, high-quality surveillance, authorities can determine with confidence that if the poliovirus is still circulating, it would be detected. When surveillance levels are high and no polio cases are confirmed through laboratory analysis for a period of three years, it is clear that transmission has been interrupted in that geographical region. This is why it is so important to improve surveillance worldwide. What is the difference between polio eradication and certification? Polio eradication is defined as stopping the transmission of wild poliovirus. Certification is the process that announces and verifies that a region is polio-free. For example, the last case of polio in the Americas was found in 1991; the region was certified polio-free in 1994. All countries must continue with polio immunization until the entire world is certified polio-free. Will it be possible to stop giving polio vaccine once polio is eradicated? Stopping immunization against polio is one of the benefits of eradication and will yield annual savings of US$1.5 billion. Polio immunization can stop when (1) all regions are certified as polio-free; (2) no evidence of circulation of vaccine-derived polio virus; (3) adequate stock pile of vaccine; and (4) containment of laboratory and other stocks of polio virus. Will Polio be eradicated by 2005? The world is on track to achieve a polio-free world by 2005. The greatest hurdle to clear in the race to reach the last child is funding. Together, the public and private sectors need to raise US$275 million immediately. To achieve eradication by 2005, a full agenda of work has been defined and is outlined in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative Strategic Plan 2001-2005 produced by the WHO. Questions or Concerns? Contact the Polio Eradication Campaign Office:
One Rotary Center 1560 Sherman Avenue Evanston, IL 60201 Phone: 847-866-3400 Fax: 847-329-4101 |
