The annotated guide to ending polio

By Diana Schoberg,Illustrations by Gwen Keraval - The Rotarian Magazine

As the number of polio cases approaches zero, the challenges facing Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are changing. We still need to reach every child with the polio vaccine – and we’re using innovative strategies to do that, in spite of geopolitical uncertainties.

But that’s only one part of our job.

We’re tackling vaccine-derived poliovirus, which can begin to spread in places where vaccine coverage is low. We’re becoming disease detectives, following up on any shred of evidence that wild poliovirus might still be circulating. And we’re fine-tuning our plan to keep the world free of polio forever.

Here’s what you need to know about where we are now.

Lee Marnett is ageless.

It’s not because he chose his own birthday. Or because at over 80 years old he’s still exercising daily. And it’s not because he can still recall events that happened nearly 75 years ago with remarkable detail.

Lee Marnett is ageless because he is eternally optimistic. It’s because he employed more resolve before he was 10 years old than some men do in their entire lifetime. And beyond all else, when you look into his eyes, you see the curiosity of a child and the wisdom of the eldest sage simultaneously looking back at you.

It’s painful to think that those eyes have seen the lightless depths of humanity’s most visceral forms of malice. But Lee’s story isn’t about pain and suffering. It’s about redemption. And for all the horrors that were cast on innocent people, Lee did his part to try to make up for it with good. And still is. (Photo by Bob Blazich)

By František Bureš - Rotarian Magazine

My dad and I were on our way south, moving through rolling farmland. The sun was bright and the fields were green. It felt as though we were in a Grant Wood painting, caught between the smallness of our lives and the grandness of the sky. High above, stark white clouds cast shadows on the highway. 

“Are we in Iowa yet?” I asked.

“We’ve been in Iowa for quite a while,” he responded.

“Do you want me to look at the map?”

“If you want to.”

We were also headed back in time, on a rescue mission of sorts. With me I had an audio recorder and a bunch of questions. For several years, I had been researching and writing about stories – about the way we use them to stitch ourselves together with the world around us. But I didn’t have a full picture of my own family’s story. I was sure I could find more pieces that would help me trace the links in the chain leading from my life into the past.