Saturday, October 31, 2009

Rotarians are encouraged to participate in a NID / SNID in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. The following are the tentative dates in these countries:


India
6 Dec 2009 SNID
10 Jan 2010 NID
7 Feb 2010 NID
March 2010 SNID
April 2010 SNID
May 2010 SNID

Nepal
March 2010 NID
April 2010 NID


Bangladesh
10 Jan 2010 NID
14 Feb 2010 NID

For India, I have established contact with Rotarians in Cochin, Kerala and they are willing to organise the internal arrangements for our Rotarians. Should there be a group of Rotarians of at least 10, this committee could assist you in the arrangements. Airasia now flies to Cochin, so the airfare would be very reasonable. The Rotarians in Cochin would also be able to organise a trip in the backwaters and suggested the NID to be in a rural part of Kerala (heart of Kerala). There is no sub-National Immunisation Day in Kerala as there are no reports of endemic cases. Only National Immunisation Days are conducted here. Kerala is very peaceful!

Besides Kerala, you can participate in any part of the country for a NID. However, SNID’s are only conducted in certain parts of the country especially in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

For Nepal, we are looking at March 2010. The destination of Nepal has been suggested to us by RI Media Relations Dept as they are willing to sponsor a media team for this destination. From the communications with the Rotarians in Nepal, the dates have not been announced yet by the Government and as soon as it is, we will suggest an itinerary.

The dates for NID in Bangladesh have been announced as stated above and here again, should there be a group interested, this committee could assist you in the arrangements. I have established contact with the Rotarians in Bangladesh and they would be able to assist us in the internal arrangements.

Yours in Rotary Service,

PP Bindi Rajasegaran
Chairman
District Polio Plus Sub-Committee – End Polio Campaign

Friday, October 30, 2009


Wednesday, October 28, 2009


Monday, October 19, 2009

Worldwide Polio update

Following, a summary of the latest worldwide update on polio cases:


• In 2009 to date, 394 type-1 (WPV1) polio cases have been reported globally, compared with 818 at the same time last year - a 52% decline. In endemic countries the comparison is more pronounced, with 184 WPV1 cases reported compared with 787 WPV1 at this time last year - a 77% decline. WPV1 is the most dangerous strain of wild poliovirus, due to its higher paralytic attack rate and propensity for geographical spread.

• Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari named his daughter Aseefa - the first child immunized in the polio eradication effort by her mother, the late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto - as Polio Ambassador in Pakistan while launching this week's Nationwide Immunization Days (NIDs).

• Pakistan has been rocked by four serious security incidents this week - including an attack on the United Nations World Food Programme offices in Islamabad. However, despite the instability, the North West Frontier Province polio team estimates that only 8.7% of children under five would be "inaccessible" this round.

Afghanistan

• One new case was reported in the past week, a wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) case from Kandahar. This is Afghanistan's most recent case, with onset of paralysis on 20 September. The total number of cases for 2009 is 23.



India

• 36 new cases were reported in the past week (five WPV1 cases and 31 WPV3 cases), bringing the total number of cases for 2009 to 431. The WPV1s were in Samastipur and Begusarai, Bihar, Agra and Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and Jalandhar, Punjab. The most recent case (WPV3 from west UP) was reported on 23 September

Nigeria

o No new cases were reported in the past week, meaning the total number of cases remains 382. The most recent case (WPV3 in Sokoto) had onset of paralysis on 30 August. For the second time in five weeks, Nigeria reported zero cases of wild poliovirus (WPV). In the past five weeks, Nigeria has recorded four WPV cases, with this ongoing fall in polio cases validating reports of significant improvements in the quality of immunization campaigns.

Pakistan

o No new cases were reported in the past week. The total number of cases for 2009 remains 62. The most recent case had onset of paralysis on 14 September (WPV3 from Quetta, Balochistan).

Monday, October 5, 2009

President's Message for October 2009

My fellow Rotarians:

There are many service organizations in the world today, but none so old or so successful as Rotary. There are many reasons for that, and Vocational Service is one of them. This year, I wish you to place a special emphasis on Vocational Service, which is sometimes the forgotten Avenue of Service in Rotary.

High ethical standards in business and personal life are still as important today as they were in 1905. Indeed, many of the problems our world is facing today have been caused by the failure to observe such standards in business affairs.

Vocational Service, in Rotary, means that we are committed to honest business and unassailable ethics, and that we are equally committed to using our vocational skills and advantages to help others. The idea is simple enough - but it is unique to Rotary.

Many service organizations are open to anyone who wishes to join. That has never been the case in Rotary. Rotarians only seek out as members those who are qualified - those who have the character, the ability, and the resolve to make a real contribution to their club.

I have long believed that the bedrock of Rotary is our commitment to ethical behavior. It has been putting what's right above what's convenient - and Service Above Self - that has made Rotary different from the rest. That is why we must always remember that whatever we do, we are each the public face of Rotary. We are each the standard-bearers of our organization. What one member does, for good or for ill, reflects on all of us.

So much of what we've achieved as an organization has come about because ofthe trust the world has in Rotary and in Rotarians. That trust has been a major part of our success in polio eradication - the fact that we are known in every community, and known to be people of goodwill and good hearts.

If we wish to see our organization grow and prosper, we must keep Vocational Service front and center in our minds and actions. We must seek out skilled and determined men and women of character. We must do what is right, even when it is inconvenient. And we must always, always, put Service Above Self.


John Kenny

President, Rotary International