Ferris Takes fight Against Polio to India

News Release for SooNews.ca
Thursday, November 6, 2008, 8:06AM

Polio survivor Ramesh Ferris, of Whitehorse, will further his mission to help eradicate the disease by traveling to his homeland of India to immunize children. Ferris, 28, will leave for India on Nov. 10 to join Rotary International volunteers there on Nov. 12.

This summer, Ferris, whose legs are disabled by polio, hand-cycled across Canada to raise awareness and money to fight the crippling and sometimes fatal disease that still threatens children in parts of Africa and Asia.

During his “Cycle to Walk” tour, Ferris traveled more than 7,110km in 173 days on his hand-powered bicycle. His coast-to-coast journey began in Victoria, B.C., in April. Along the way, he was honored by the Toronto Blue Jays and met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa.

Ferris has raised nearly C$300,000, most of which goes directly to Rotary’s PolioPlus program, which since 1985 has contributed US $700 million and countless volunteer hours to immunize two billion children in 122 countries.

In India, Ferris will help administer oral polio vaccine to children under age five. "I will be able to give children a vaccination that will spare them from paralysis or a shortened life,” he says. “It’s something that truly touches my heart.”

On Nov. 16, Ferris and the Rotary volunteers will join a massive volunteer force participating in synchronized polio immunization campaigns targeting millions of children throughout the country. These national campaigns - supported by governments, Rotary International, the World Health Organization, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF - will shore up the continued progress made this year to stem the spread of the poliovirus.

Ferris’ trip will bring him full-circle, giving him the opportunity to confront the disease that changed his life. Born in Tamil Nadu, India, Ferris was stricken by polio when he was six months old. He was adopted by Canadian parents at age two and, after numerous surgeries and lengthy physical rehabilitation, learned to walk with crutches. The disease also affected his lungs, and he contracted pneumonia nine times before the age of 11.

"It takes team work to make a dream work,” says Ferris. “As a person who is reminded daily of the devastating effects polio can have on someone, I'm honoured to join Rotary in providing polio vaccinations to children in my native country of India.”

Overall, great progress has been made in the effort to end polio. In the two decades since Rotary and its global partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), cases worldwide have been slashed by 99 percent. Today, half of the world’s population now lives in certified polio-free areas. The Americas were declared free from polio in 1994, as well as the Western Pacific region in 2000, and Europe in 2002.

Rotary’s commitment to end polio represents the largest private-sector support of a global health initiative ever. In 1985, Rotary members worldwide vowed to immunize all the world’s children against polio. Since then, Rotary has raised more than US$700 million and contributed countless volunteer hours to help immunize more than 2 billion children in 122 countries. Rotary is currently raising funds to match a $100 million challenge grant awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with the resulting $200 million earmarked entirely for polio eradication.

Many public and private sector entities support the polio eradication effort, including the government of Canada, which has contributed almost C$331 million to the GPEI, among the top five donor governments.

A highly infectious disease, polio can cause paralysis and sometimes death. As there is no cure, the best protection is prevention.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide to provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. It is comprised of 1.2 million members working nearly 200 countries and geographic regions. Rotary members initiate community projects that address many of today’s most critical issues such as violence, AIDS, hunger, the environment and health care.

To follow Ramesh Ferris’ journey, visit his blog at www.cycletowalk.com.

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