Polio Eradication is CLOSE
- Jessica Lee
- 43 minutes ago
- 3 min read
A brave soul dedicated to polio eradication
With a Master of Public Health from Tulane University, experience in public service, and roles with the World Health Organization focused on polio eradication, Ashley has spent her career on the front lines of prevention, preparedness, and community health. She’s also lived the work, serving internationally and learning firsthand how public health succeeds or fails based on trust, access, and local partnership.
That perspective fits Rotary like a glove. Rotary’s mission has always been about more than writing checks. It’s about choosing a problem worthy of long-term commitment and then showing up, consistently, alongside others who care. Ashley’s story reflects the same values Rotary holds high, service, leadership, and a belief that real progress happens when people refuse to accept “good enough” as the final outcome.
End Polio is challenging but not impossible
It’s easy to assume the hard part is creating vaccines, but Ashley helped us see the truth: the hardest part is delivering them to every last child, in every last community, again and again, until the virus has nowhere left to hide. The finish line is close, but the final stretch is full of obstacles that don’t show up in a simple headline.
Here at home, we may not witness polio’s effects in our daily lives, but Rotary’s work connects our club to families around the world who do. Supporting eradication is not abstract charity, it’s practical, measurable protection for children, and it reflects Rotary’s belief that health is foundational to opportunity, dignity, and peace.
The non-stop polio vaccination campaign
Ashley walked us through what a vaccination campaign really looks like. Teams plan routes, coordinate supply chains, keep vaccines cold, track progress carefully, and return to homes when children aren’t available the first time. It is detailed work, often repetitive, and always time-sensitive. Success depends on disciplined execution, but also on flexibility, adjusting tactics to fit local customs, geography, and community dynamics. In Pakistan, about 39 to 45 million children under age five were vaccinated per campaign, and these campaigns happen about every month and a half.
She also highlighted something many people miss: surveillance is as essential as vaccination. The world can’t declare victory just because paralysis cases are rare. Monitoring continues through field reporting and environmental sampling, looking for signs of the virus even when symptoms aren’t visible.
Why we do what we do
There was a heartfelt undercurrent throughout Ashley’s talk: eradication is a promise we make to children we will never meet. When a child is protected from polio, that child isn’t just spared illness, they’re spared a lifetime shaped by preventable disability. That’s what makes this work so deeply Rotary, it’s compassion translated into action, not once, but repeatedly, until the job is done.
Ashley also spoke candidly about trust, and how fragile it can be in communities shaped by conflict, misinformation, or fear. Even in the face of death threats, vaccinators continue their mission. They carry more than a cooler and a clipboard, they carry the hope and responsibility of being a credible messenger. When Rotary supports polio eradication, we are also standing beside local health workers and community leaders who build confidence one conversation at a time. That is hope with boots on the ground.
We welcome you to join us
If you’ve ever wondered whether one community club can truly matter in a world full of big challenges, this is your answer. Rotary is part of a global coalition that has pushed polio to the brink, and it happened because ordinary people chose to stay committed. Not flashy. Not easy. Just steady, practical effort with real outcomes.
If that sounds like your kind of optimism, come visit us. You’ll meet people who care about our community and also care about the wider world, and who enjoy working together while keeping the mood friendly and welcoming. We’d love for you to join a meeting, ask questions, and see where you might plug in.
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