Snapping photos to help wipe out polio

More than 100 people from Cayman will have their photos featured in a digital commercial run by Rotary International, a humanitarian organization pushing to eradicate polio. 

Earlier this month, the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Sunrise hosted a photo event during which participants snapped a photo of themselves making the “this close” gesture, which will later be featured in what is billed as “the world’s biggest commercial.” A similar photo event will be held on March 15. 

Local participants will have their photos featured in a digital format alongside celebrities including Ziggy Marley, actress Archie Punjabi and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The commercial includes photos of famous and ordinary people from around the world, all of whom support efforts to eradicate polio.  

Rotary campaign  

“Rotary has been instrumental in the polio eradication campaign with its PolioPlus program since 1985 that continues to provide vaccinations in countries where polio remains a challenge,” said Hendrik-Jan van Genderen of Rotary Sunrise. “Rotary clubs all over the world are involved with this initiative and it was great that we got so many people in one evening in this commercial.” 

He added, “Please join the Rotary and Rotaract clubs on Saturday afternoon [3 p.m.] March 15, at the George Town waterfront for the third annual Bed Race to eradicate Polio. It will be a fun afternoon where we raise funds for Rotary’s polio eradication program and you get a chance to get your picture added to this commercial.” According to the Rotary International’s website, by entering a photo, “Your involvement will help convince world leaders that support for polio eradication is global.” 

The commercial is currently around 3.5 hours long, and adding photos from Cayman will help nudge the running time closer to four hours. 

Rotary Sunrise members said that many of the people who took part in the photo event were surprised that the disease still exists. The wild poliomyelitis virus remains endemic in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  

The disease is highly infectious, and as long as a single case remains, the entire world remains at risk, authorities say. Air travel complicates the chance of reintroducing the disease in countries where it has been eliminated. 

Honorary Rotary Sunrise member Robert Ketron, whose brother is a polio survivor, urges the public to join in the worldwide effort to eradicate polio by making a donation. 

Donations collected at the photo event will triple in value due to the philanthropic challenge by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has partnered with Rotary in the fight against polio. For every dollar raised by Rotary clubs globally, the Gates Foundation will contribute two dollars. 

To view the commercial, click on http://thisclose.endpolio.org/en/video/current.