Rotarians in Ghana have visited the National Polio Reference Laboratory at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) at the University of Ghana, Legon, to observe polio surveillance activities and reaffirm their commitment to supporting polio eradication efforts.
The Rotarians, members of the Ghana National PolioPlus Committee (GNPCC), a Rotary-led action group dedicated to eradicating poliomyelitis in Ghana, were joined by Rotaractors, the youth and student arm of Rotary.
The delegation works in partnership with Rotary International, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ghana Health Service.
Led by Dr Jack Andrews Dotsey, the District Governor of Rotary International District 9104 for 2026–2027, the delegation interacted with researchers at the laboratories and offices of the National Polio Reference Laboratory at the NMIMR.
The visit took place ahead of this year’s World Polio Day, observed on Saturday, October 24, 2026, and was intended to help the visitors understand the monitoring and evaluation of polio surveillance activities.
World Polio Day was established in 1985 by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Dr Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop an inactivated poliovirus vaccine.
The members, dressed in red T-shirts bearing the inscription “End Polio Now”, expressed their joy as the research institute acknowledged Rotary International and Rotary in Ghana (District 9104) for their support for polio surveillance and eradication efforts in Ghana.
Polio (poliomyelitis) is a contagious, life-threatening viral disease caused by the poliovirus. It attacks the nervous system and can damage motor neurons in the spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness, irreversible paralysis or death.
The virus enters the body through the mouth, usually through food, water or hands contaminated with the stool of an infected person. It can also spread, less commonly, through saliva or respiratory droplets.
Although polio mainly affects unvaccinated children under five, anyone who lacks immunity can contract the disease.
Most people infected with the virus show no visible symptoms. About 25 per cent experience flu-like symptoms, including fever, fatigue, sore throat, headache and stomach pain.
In a small proportion of infections, the virus invades the brain and spinal cord, causing muscle weakness and potentially permanent paralysis. If paralysis affects the muscles responsible for breathing, the disease can be fatal.
Decades after recovering from polio, some survivors may develop new or progressive muscle weakness and pain.
Ghana has remained free of the wild poliovirus since 2015. However, the country has experienced occasional outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), prompting immunisation campaigns led by the Ghana Health Service and the World Health Organisation using the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2).
The country experienced outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus in 2019 and 2022, followed by response campaigns through late 2024. Routine childhood immunisation and supplementary immunisation activities using nOPV2 continue to protect children under five.
Prof Dorothy Kyerewah Yeboah-Manu, Director of the NMIMR, commended the collaboration between Rotary and the Institute, saying it had contributed to the Institute’s growth.
She said the Institute had been involved in polio eradication efforts for almost 48 years and continued to receive samples from Ghana and other parts of West Africa.
Prof Yeboah-Manu called for improved wastewater treatment practices, explaining that infected people, including those without symptoms, as well as individuals who had received the live oral polio vaccine (OPV), could shed the virus in their stool.
She said wastewater surveillance served as an early warning system, helping to detect poliovirus in communities before clinical cases or paralysis emerged.
“Let’s practise infection control; let’s protect our sewage systems,” Prof Yeboah-Manu advised.
The NMIMR Director also appealed for support for the National Polio Centre, explaining that the activities undertaken there were capital-intensive.
Dr Dotsey, for his part, assured the Centre of Rotary’s continued partnership.
Dr Raymond Dankoli, Coordinator of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), stressed the importance of continuous surveillance in addressing emerging strains of the poliovirus.
