As the world commemorates *World Polio Day* each October 24, Pakistan stands at a defining moment in global health history. Decades of unrelenting effort, courage, and partnership have brought humanity 99 percent closer to eradicating a virus that once paralyzed more than 350,000 children every year across 125 countries. Today, only Pakistan and Afghanistan remain endemic. Thanks to Rotary’s leadership and the dedication of Pakistan’s National PolioPlus Committee under *Aziz Memon,* the finish line is within sight. But as Memon reminds us, victory over polio is not the end of the story — it is the beginning of a new one. “Health is not just the absence of disease,” he says. “It is the presence of nourishment, safety, and opportunity.”*Rotary’s campaign to eradicate polio* is one of the greatest humanitarian achievements in modern history. Since launching the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988, Rotary and its partners — UNICEF, WHO, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — have contributed more than US$3 billion and mobilized over one million volunteers, reaching even the most remote corners of Pakistan. Frontline health workers have risked their lives, trekking across deserts and mountains, carrying vaccine vials through conflict zones and floods. Their resilience has made Pakistan a global symbol of courage in public health.
Today, over 339,000 health workers go door to door across the country to ensure that every child under five receives two life-saving drops.
PHOTO: Najeeb Syed demonstrating the Purple Pinky.
*Yet another silent threat undermines this success: malnutrition. *Malnutrition* weakens a child’s immune system, leaving them vulnerable to infections — including polio. A malnourished child, even when vaccinated, may not develop full immunity. This biological link has become Rotary’s next call to action: to eradicate malnutrition with the same determination that defeated polio. Across Pakistan, one in three children under five is stunted. Chronic hunger leads to cognitive delay, poor school performance, and diminished earning potential in adulthood. The same families visited for polio campaigns often live in communities where children go to bed hungry. Recognizing this, Rotary leaders and partners are transforming the polio infrastructure into a nutrition delivery network — bringing nourishment through collaboration with NGOs and community-based clinics by supplying free Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and essential micronutrients after screening children under five, as well as supporting nutrition for pregnant and lactating women. In collaboration with the *Trust for Malnutrition and Stunted Growth (TMSG),* the *Rotary Club of Karachi,* and international partners such as the *Rotary Club of St. Catharines South,* the fight has expanded from immunization to nutrition rehabilitation. Thousands of children are now being treated with *RUTF* — a peanut-based product endorsed by UNICEF — along with micronutrient supplements such as *UNIMMAP, Nutra MV, and AllVitz Junior.* Pregnant and lactating mothers are receiving folic acid and iron, ensuring healthier pregnancies and stronger infants. Lady Health Workers who once focused solely on polio now use MUAC tapes to detect malnutrition and guide families to treatment. This synergy has multiplied the impact — saving lives while building stronger immunity against disease.
*The infrastructure that helped eradicate polio*— from UNICEF’s cold-chain logistics to Rotary’s deep community networks — has become the backbone of Pakistan’s nutrition movement. The two causes now reinforce one another: well-nourished children build stronger immunity; healthy children sustain eradication. “A nation free of polio but crippled by hunger is not a victory,” says *Memon.* “The real triumph will be when every child can walk, think, and thrive — nourished and strong.”
Rotary has shown the world what unity, science, and compassion can achieve. The eradication of polio is nearly complete — but the eradication of malnutrition must now follow. Both battles share the same heart — protecting the dignity and future of every child. As Rotarians, our work is not finished when the virus disappears; it continues until hunger, stunting, and preventable suffering are gone. This is the next Rotary revolution — a revolution of nutrition, health, and hope.
On this World Polio Day, as we honour those who brought us to the threshold of eradication, let us also pledge to cross a new frontier — ensuring that no child in Pakistan, or anywhere in the world, suffers from the malnutrition that weakens life itself. “When we finish the fight against polio, may we carry the same flame to finish the fight against malnutrition — because both rob children of their future, and both can be defeated by the same love that started this journey.”
Najeeb Syed
Chairman, International Service Committee Rotary Club of St. Catharines South