Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Dr. Victor Saldanha received his M.D. degree from Grant Medical College, then his M.R.C.P. from London, UK and did his fellowship at Columbia University, NYC. He practiced Internal Medicine and Geriatrics in Winthrop, MA from 1973 to 2005, and then joined the Cambridge Health Alliance, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, in 2006 to the present. Victor resides in Lynnfield with his wife Janine, an anesthesiologist at Harvard University. They have three children, Monisha, Alok and Reba and two grandsons.
An active member of Rotary International, Saldanha has won several awards for community service. He served as Governor of RI District 7930 in 2002-2003, and represented the district for two consecutive terms at the Council on Legislation, the highest policy-making division in RI.
He has been actively involved in all four avenues of service in Rotary International (RI) including, Community, Club, Vocational and International. He helped start the famous Sri Sankara Eye Clinic in1997, raising matching grants with the Rotary Club of Madras Fort, Chennai
Saldanha has previously been recognized by Rotary International with:
nine Paul Harris Fellowships since 1994. Most recently he was awarded the Service Above Self Award for 2011.
He talked to Lokvani about the Polio Eradication Initiative that has helped eradicate polio in India.
Could you tell us a little about your specialization in the field of medicine? How did you get involved with Polio eradication?
My field is Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, and Geriatrics, My involvement with Polio Eradication Initiative(PEI) is through Rotary International(RI).
What motivated you to become involved with the Rotary Club?
Rotary International (RI) is an organization that enables ordinary people to do extraordinary things. It has 1.3 million members, in 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries.
I have been a Rotarian since 1982 serving in many different capacities such as President of the Rotary club of Winthrop, MA. in 1997-98, Assistant District Governor 1999 - 2001, District Governor 2002-03, Council on Legislation 2005 - 10. I have been the club Foundation Chair and involved with the Polio Eradication Initiative since 1985. For my efforts I have been recognized by RI with the Service Above Self Award in 2011, one of only 130 awarded in the world that year.
Why did you chose Polio eradication as a goal ?
RI first got involved in Polio with a pilot program in 1979 in the Phillipines. $750,000 was allocated for polio immunization in the Phillipines. The program was completed in 1982 with dramatic results, so that in 1985 the Board of Trustees of RI decided to carry out a global immunization program with the goal of eradicating the disease entirely from the planet.
In 1985, the incidence of new cases of polio worldwide was 350,000 cases per annum, or almost 1000 cases per day, and India was the leader earning it the title "Polio Capital Of The World"!
As a result of the efforts of Rotary International, with the WHO and the CDC , by 1994 the Americas, North and South were declared polio free, the Western Pacific region in 2000,and Europe in 2002. By 2008 polio remained endemic in four countries in the world : Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria, although sporadic cases of polio are randomly reported around the world.
It was about this time that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation got interested in polio eradication as part of its focus on immunization and preventive medicine. The Government of India supported the initiative with funding and manpower and moved the program along resulting in a steady decline of new cases reported.
How were you able to achieve eradication of Polio in a vast country like India?
India's stategy for eradicating the disease combines the use of a highly effective vaccine with specific targetting of high risk groups. India poured money into TV ads featuring Bollywood's top stars pushing people to vaccinate their children against the disease. A country at peace, with the co-operation of the government, and with a booming economy has an advantage.
The focus in India has been on a bivalent vaccine specific fo type 1 and 3 polio virus, as type 2 has already been eliminated, and so a type 2 vaccine is superfluous.
Secondly India mobilised thousands of health staff to transit points such as bus and train stations, busy highways and migrant camps.
In 2011 alone, 2.3 million vaccinators immunized 172 million children. Mass immunization was carried out in waves, on National Immunization Days(NIDS), about 10-12 in the year, or one a month in different parts of the country. Rotary has played a major role in co-ordinating efforts through its network of Rotary clubs and members throughout the country, and many volunteer Rotarians from around the world went to India to help on NIDS.
This strategy has paid off, and since January 13, 2011 there has not been a single new case of polio reported in the country. The Boston Globe of Friday January 13, 2012 headline said: "India winning battle against polio - reaches stunning milestone of zero cases in one year". Major press around the world carried similar banner headlines. (I was in Mumbai at the time, and there was great excitement about this).The medical world is impressed with the results in India, and excited at the prospect of sending polio the way of smallpox.
From being the polio capital of the world, India is on the verge of being declared polio free!
What is the status of Polio eradication in other parts of the world?
With India on its way to eradication, that leaves Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria with endemic polio. India needs to be vigilant : with persistence of the virus in neighboring countries, it is still at risk of the virus crossing its borders. It will have to maintain its polio free status for the next two years to be declared polio free by WHO standards. The waves of immunization and NIDS must continue till the end of 2013.
In the first two months of 2012 Pakistan reports 11 new cases of Polio, Afghanistan 4, India 0, Nigeria 2.
Are there other projects in the works for the future?
Other diseases such as malaria, Hiv/Aids and Tuberculosis are on the radar with Rotarians participating in programs around the world in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but none of these are official RI programs on the scale of the Polio Eradication Initiative.
Any special message for our readers?
Please maintain immunization schedules of children as recommended by the CDC. There has been some discussion in the press regarding the relation of vaccinations and autism. This connection is without reliable scientific confirmation. In this game, you have to keep your foot on the accelerator or you are going to loose the race. You cannot let your guard down, or you will be hit hard.
Please support your local Rotary clubs in any way you can, in cash or kind. The money raised is put to good use locally and internationally. Charity Navigator gives its highest rating to the organization for good reason.
Thank you very much for your time.
Thank you.
|
