Africa-Press – Uganda. Rotary Districts 9213 and 9214 have joined the global community to commemorate World Polio Day, renewing their commitment to eradicating the disease through vaccination, advocacy, and community engagement.
The joint event brought together Rotarians, Rotaractors, parents, and children under the theme, “Together We End Polio,” with activities focused on raising awareness and promoting immunization drives across various communities.
Speaking during the commemoration, District Governor Christine Kawooya Kyeyune of District 9214 emphasized that Uganda’s success in containing polio must not lead to complacency.
She called for continued vigilance and shared responsibility among parents, health workers, and leaders.
“For Uganda to completely eradicate polio, we must work together—parents, health workers, and community leaders—to ensure every child is immunized. It’s a matter of mindset and responsibility,” Kawooya said.
She commended Uganda’s progress toward eliminating the disease, noting that Rotary’s consistent involvement in vaccination campaigns, public sensitization, and partnerships with the Ministry of Health have been instrumental in closing the remaining gaps.
The event highlighted both progress and persistent risks. Uganda remains free of indigenous wild poliovirus, thanks to strong immunization and surveillance systems.
However, the recent detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in 2024 and 2025 has renewed calls for increased vaccination coverage and sustained surveillance to prevent outbreaks.
Uganda has a long history of mass polio vaccination campaigns. The most recent, held from January 14 to 18, 2022, adopted a door-to-door strategy across 136 districts.
By the end of the six-day exercise, 9,768,697 children had received the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) — surpassing the national target of 8,791,710 children and achieving a coverage rate of 111.1 percent.
Rotary International has been at the forefront of the global End Polio Now campaign for over three decades, contributing funds, mobilizing volunteers, and working closely with governments and health partners to ensure that no child is left behind.
As Uganda moves closer to full eradication, Rotarians reaffirmed their pledge to keep the fight alive until polio is wiped out completely — a goal that would mark one of humanity’s greatest public health victories.
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