Copyright ghanamma
The Ghana National PolioPlus Committee (GNPPC) in collaboration with its Polio partners on Friday October 24, 2025 unveiled a giant “End Polio Now” billboard, in Accra, drawing attention to the world community to eradicate poliomyelitis from the surface of the earth. The ceremony was led by the Chair of the GNPPC, Past Assistant Governor of Ghana District of Rotary International, Gertrude Adzo Akpalu and was attended by members of the GNPPC, the District Governor Nana Yaa Siriboe, Past Assistant Governors, Assistant Governors, Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors. The unveiling of the billboard in Accra formed part of the activities of the organisation, in observing this year’s World Polio Day, commemorated on 24 October every year. This year’s theme: “End Polio: Every Child, Every Vaccine, Everywhere” is a call to ensure that no child, in any setting, is left unprotected. Ghana has been declared polio free with about 99 percent eradication, despite being declared polio free some years earlier. The little presence of the disease is as result of variants, mostly found in unhealthy environments. District Governor Nana Yaa Siriboe, together with Dr Raymond Dankoli, Co-ordinator of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative; Prof John Kofi Odoom, a virologist at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Legon, with Rotarians and Rotaractors from different clubs across the country could not hide their smiles as they posed for the cameras at the unveiling of the billboard. As the cameras clicked, the celebrants shouted in a refrain: “Polio at one place, polio everywhere” to drive home the need to ensure the eradication of vaccine-derived strains and variants from unhealthy environments. Some of the celebrants, wearing “End Polio Now” tee- shirts flaunted placards that read: “Make History Today”, “Thank You for Helping to Eradicate Polio”, “I Want To/ Will End Polio” among others. The District Governor commended Rotary, its partners, and members in Ghana for their selfless services in ensuring that vaccination reached every child, saying that the organisation was committed to eradicate the disease. “Thank you all for helping eradicate polio,” she said. Prof Odoom in a media interview stressed that surveillance to check new variants of the disease, mostly attributed to unhealthy environments. Some Rotary clubs in Ghana that had paid their contributions towards polio eradication initiatives were recognised and given certificates. Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by the polio virus. Although very rare, the virus can attack the parts of the brain that help you breathe, which can lead to death. Some of the symptoms of polio are flulike symptoms of fever, fatigue sore throat, headache, digestive issues, signs of brain and spinal cord swelling, sensitivity to light, neck stiffness and muscle spasms. The disease is found in poop, transmitted from person to person, primarily through the faecal-oral route, where the virus spreads via contaminated hands, food, or water. It can also spread through respiratory droplets from sneezes or coughs, although this is less common. The virus can be spread by an infected person who may not have symptoms. A secondary mode is through respiratory droplets in an infected environment. Polio has no cure, but it can be prevented with vaccination. Wild polio is still found in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
