AS children and young people returned to their local Boys’ Brigade groups across the UK after the summer, one of the first activities they were encouraged to get involved with was the ‘End Polio’ campaign.

The organisation has collaborated with Rotary International, which has been part of the effort to eradicate polio worldwide for more than 35 years, to develop a range of new activities focused on the ‘End Polio Now’ campaign. The partnership is titled ‘Operation Purple Pinky’, a reference to the practice of painting children’s fingers purple to indicate they have received the polio vaccine.

The new resources are designed to help give the children and young people an opportunity to learn more about polio and the devastating impact it can have, before working together to support the campaign to eradicate polio.

Polio is a highly infectious disease, most commonly affecting children under the age of five, and can lead to permanent paralysis or even death.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative began in 1988, led by the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, and the Rotary Foundation, and with funding from the Gates Foundation, governments, private funders and other foundations. Since then, polio has been reduced worldwide by 99 per cent – from about 350,000 cases in 1988 to 30 confirmed cases in 2022.

Gordon McInally from Rotary International said: “Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. It’s concerning to hear how polio has been now confirmed in Gaza.

“Due to the efforts of Rotary and our partners, nearly 19 million people who would otherwise have been paralysed are walking, and more than 1.5 million people are alive who would otherwise have died.”

Jonathan Eales, Chief Executive of the Boys’ Brigade, said: “As a Christian youth organisation we believe it’s important to create a space for children and young people to learn about the challenges, like polio, faced by some of our global neighbours, but also importantly how we can respond and do something to help.”