Although it has long since disappeared from the developed world, polio remains a problem in some corners of the globe. Now, a new effort to finally eliminate the disease is embodied in a most unusual symbol: a soccer ball.
The soccer ball, the mascot of the Kick Polio Out of Africa campaign, has been signed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Fabrice Akwa (a member of the Angolan Striker football team) and others. Last week, the ball kicked off its journey through 22 African nations as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the disease.
Organized by Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Unicef, the campaign is part of a larger effort to eliminate polio once and for all. The effort will mobilize 400,000 volunteers to immunize 85 million children under the age of five against the debilitating disease. Nine countries in West and Central Africa — Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone — have had polio outbreaks in the last six months. Niger and Nigeria have also had outbreaks.
The ball began its journey last week in South Africa, and will travel the continent over the next three months before finally going to Canada in June for Rotary International’s annual convention.
The Rotary immunization effort would not have been possible without a $355 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Photo courtesy of Rotary International.