Global health is more than just vaccines, research, and large investments

I was standing in a small Muslim city not too far from my birthplace, Delhi. I’d come here with a team of Rotarians as their Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to partake in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). I knew little of the religious‐political issues entangled in this scheme or of the baseless rumors that had circulated before, denigrating GPEI as a campaign to reduce the Muslim population, make their children impotent. I was a recent Georgetown grad keen on doing fieldwork before entering grad school. Though thrilled to be back in India for humanitarian work, I thought I’d simply render my services and return home.

Yet, what I saw, people of all creeds‐ Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian‐ coalescing for a common cause inspired me. I was in a city that had been rife with communal tension not too long ago, where those baseless rumors had come into play and Muslim households were fearful of letting their children get vaccinated. Today though, two years later, a woman in a niqab, a local Muslim cleric, two American Rotarians, and myself were placing two drops of the polio vaccine in the children’s mouths.

That was because the PolioPlus Committee had met with India’s leading ulema, urging for their support and verification of the vaccine. That affirmation trickled down to the local level, as national Muslim clerics told their regional counterparts and their words were imprinted in Urdu on handouts given to UNICEF workers who made regular immunization rounds. Ultimately, it was words, not force, which suppressed the rumors; rather words carried force.

As a volunteer, I saw the ramifications of that. I saw that health is more than just delivering vaccines in the Indian heat, knowing the science behind it, and channeling exorbitant funds into a campaign. It’s also about listening, engaging, and adapting‐ in their language, with their assistance, within their communities.

GPEI has wiped out polio from all but four countries‐ India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria (all of which house large Muslim populations). It’s one of the most unique campaigns that builds on the support of the private, public, and third sector, calling on the expertise of the CDC, WHO, UNICEF, and Gates Foundation as well as the support of governments in the developed and developing world. Rotary serves as the face of the effort; they send teams regularly to visit these polio‐rife areas, bolster morale, reinforce the necessity of the campaign, and remind weary health workers that their work is still valued. These are ordinary citizens, not health experts, development economists, or diplomats; they are business people and professionals at home but in the polio‐struck zones, they’re cheerleaders for global health.

That’s the charm of GPEI: it’s all‐inclusive, encouraging the participation of civil society. Moreover, it relies on them to share the story of polio. Once I returned from India, I wrote OpEds, interviewed polio experts for online podcasts, had screenings of a polio documentary, did a policy‐oriented piece for The Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, and made countless presentations. In the US, polio’s a forgotten disease. But when people heard the presentation, they wanted to spread the story further, donate funds, and some even urged to travel back to India with me to participate.

Most importantly, though, civil society‐oriented initiatives like this one break down cleavages, building bonds instead. In polio’s case, that means bridging East and West, tearing away frigidity between Muslims and non‐Muslims. That’s why President Obama mentioned polio in his Cairo speech and in subsequent addresses to Muslim audiences. That’s why he wants to collaborate with the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to eradicate polio.

Health is a common point for all of us, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or citizenship. The best way to highlight that commonality is invest in public health campaigns that employ civilians, not just trained health professionals and development experts. In the coming years, create an army of civilians: they’ll not only produce a massive campaign but they’ll partake in a cultural exchange, which can have political implications. Take it outside the Capital Beltway, beyond the boardrooms of elite foundations, and certainly outside the health community. Build partnerships that cross sectors‐ the public, private, and ‘citizen’ sector. For polio, it’s been the ‘citizen’ sector that’s kept the fight alive. I know I’ll be returning in February 2010 to India for polio work. And I’ll keep going year after year. That’s the power of the civilian spirit.

Being part of this team, I got to witness the intricacies of the campaign, make friendships that span continents, and help disentangle religious‐political misperceptions by presenting a positive face of the US and the West.

Global health is the opportunity to make a statement, something provocative, progressive, and impacting. Make a statement‐ through civilians.