World Polio Day

By Anshuman Singh Some revolutions begin with speeches, others with protests and then there is one that began with just two drops. Every year on October 24, the world pauses to remember a discreet but powerful victory, the fight against polio. For most of us, it’s a story we’ve only heard in headlines and never really paid much attention to it. But just a generation ago, parents lived with the fear that a simple fever could mean a lifetime of paralysis for their child.

Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a viral disease that attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis, mostly in children under five. For decades, it stole future and broke families. But in 1955, when Dr. Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine, the world found its strongest weapon, Hope.

Since then, that hope has turned into action. More than 2.5 billion children have been immunized, thanks to countless healthcare workers, volunteers, and organizations like WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International, and CDC. Polio cases have dropped by more than 99% since 1988 after the launch of Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). Only Pakistan and Afghanistan remain polio-endemic and even there, the numbers continue to fall each year. A single vaccine dose costs only a few rupees but what it offers is something priceless, it protects a childhood, a dream, a lifetime. Of the three wild poliovirus strains, two have already been eradicated. With sustained effort, polio could soon become the second human disease in history to be completely wiped off the planet after smallpox. India’s success story remains one of the greatest public health triumphs in history. From crowded cities to the remotest villages, volunteers carried cool boxes of vaccine drops walking miles, crossing rivers, and knocking on every door with just one goal: no child left unvaccinated. The campaign slogan “Do Boond Zindagi Ke” (Two Drops of Life) became more than a message, it became a movement. On March 27, 2014, India was officially certified Polio-Free, proving that even the largest and most complex nations can conquer preventable diseases through collective will.

Behind every statistic lies a story a mother walking five kilometers to vaccinate her baby, a volunteer standing in the scorching sun with a cooler of vials, a child smiling after receiving those tiny drops that mean a lifetime of freedom. The victory over polio was something which was not easy it came through resilience, struggle, believe and unity Two drops on a tongue soft as morning dew, A promise of tomorrow, pure and new. From crowded cities to deserts wide, Hope travels hand in hand, stride for stride As responsible citizens, it’s our duty to be aware of the fight against polio , a disease that still threatens children in some parts of the world. Polio may seem like a problem of the past, but it takes only one unvaccinated child to bring it back. Every drop of the vaccine is a step toward protecting not just one child, but an entire generation. On this World Polio Day, let’s pledge to spread the word, support vaccination drives, and ensure that no child is left behind in this journey toward a safer, healthier tomorrow.