A PAST president of Bridport Rotary Club has been helping to immunise children against polio in India.

Clive Bath joined a group of 40 Rotarians from the UK, Belgium and Luxembourg in Delhi to take part in the National Immunisation Day organised by the Indian government and the World Health Organisation.

This year the WHO has officially declared India polio free after three years without a new case.

Together with local Indian rotarians and government health workers Clive and his colleagues visited different parts of Delhi.

Clive was attached to the slums of East Delhi where he helped to immunise a record 620 children under the age of five in one morning.

He said: “The people are extremely poor, with none of the requirements for daily living we take for granted such as running water and electricity, but they were very friendly and greatly appreciated the work done to protect their children against this disease. The presence of Europeans in yellow Rotary shirts created a great deal of interest which helped to ensure that parents or older siblings brought their young children out to be immunised.

“All the volunteers paid for their own flights and hotels so any money given to the ‘End Polio Now’ cause goes directly to help fight the disease and keep India polio free.”

Clive also visited St Stephens Hospital where polio corrective surgery is undertaken.

The work is 50 per cent funded by the Rotary Club of Delhi Midtown. A short video of the work of this hospital can be viewed on the website polioeradication.org

Anyone interested in the work of Rotary can visit the website bridportrotary.org.uk The club meets on Tuesday evenings at Highlands End and is always looking for enthusiastic new members both male and female.