WORLD POLIO DAY 24 OCTOBER 2014 – FIMA
The Federation of Islamic Medical Associations (FIMA) invites all Muslim physicians to join together to end polio and improve child health and welfare.

We have a historic opportunity to end a disease that has plagued children for much too long. Today, cases of polio are down more than 99% worldwide since 1988, and this year alone has seen significant progress against the disease. Nigeria and Afghanistan, two of the three countries that have never stopped transmission of polio, have reported only six and twelve cases respectively as of October 2014. Iraq and Syria have successfully curbed polio outbreaks even in the midst of conflict.

But pockets of polio still remain, primarily in Muslim majority countries. As of October 2014, Pakistan accounts for more than 80% of cases globally and remains the largest exporter of the disease. Leaders in the Muslim world have already played a vital role in advancing eradication efforts and supporting childhood immunization.

For example, the International Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence) Academy in Jeddah and other prominent Islamic leaders around the world have issued nearly thirty fatwas (religious edicts) promoting the safety of polio vaccines. The Islamic Advisory Group (IAG), under the leadership of the Grand Imam of the Holy Mosque of Mecca, issued a declaration to support vaccination. Additionally, a range of Muslim donors have contributed to the polio eradication effort, including the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Development Bank and several Muslim philanthropists. But more must be done to defeat this disease.

As believers in the Islamic faith, it is our sacred duty to take care of our children, promote and protect their health and welfare. As physicians, it is our responsibility to provide lifesaving care, educate families on the importance and safety of vaccines and advocate for the right of our communities to have access to quality healthcare.

This is why we, Muslim physicians, are uniting behind a new Call to Action on Polio Eradication and Children’s Health to declare our commitment to end polio and urge our leaders to ensure vaccination of all children. Several leading physicians have joined the call to action, including Dr. Yagob Al-Mazrou, Secretary General, Health Services Council, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Dr. Tariq Cheema, Founder and CEO, World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists, US; Dr. Sania Nishtar, Founder and President, Heartfile, Pakistan; Dr. Gamal Serour, Director, International Islamic Center for Population Studies and Research, Al Azhar University (IICPSR), Egypt.

A complete list of vaccination advocates to date can be found here.

We call on our fellow physicians across the Muslim world to join us in this urgent effort to end polio and protect children against all vaccine preventable diseases. Over the next few months, we will continue to welcome signatories with the goal of bringing thousands of physicians together in solidarity for children’s health.
Join the call to action here.