The fight against polio

They hike miles into the mountains to save children from polio

Before sunrise, 45-year-old Shameema puts on her worn-out rubber sandals and checks the cooler with vaccines. Then she sets off into the darkness. Together with millions of others, she is part of India's enormous machinery that has kept the country polio-free for over a decade, writes The Guardian.

The vaccination campaign is aimed at all children under the age of five, and takes place four to six times a year. In order to reach even children living in the most inaccessible places in the country, people like Shameema are needed, who are ready to walk several miles up into the mountains with the vaccine under their arm. At her side, she has 28-year-old Tanzeela. She notes that the paths are steep and the compensation is low, but that it is worth the effort.

- I think of my nephews when I hike. Giving the drops takes just seconds, but they change a life forever, says the 28-year-old.

27 million children vaccinated in a day

In the space of 24 hours, India’s polio vaccination campaign is reaching some 27 million children under the age of five, The Guardian reports.

The scale of the operation makes most military exercises seem small-scale. Insulated coolers of vaccine are transported by bicycle, train, boat and bus. At the same time, some 1.7 million people are manning 750,000 stations around the country to administer the two drops of vaccine on children’s tongues that are needed to keep India polio-free.

The success of the campaign also depends on the vaccinators – mostly women – who travel on foot to the most inaccessible places in the country. Parents can walk for two hours with their children strapped to their backs to meet the vaccinators halfway.