It looks like an elongated, rectangular ‘igloo’ right in the middle of Swaraj Maidan. The white structure is of course too large to be an igloo. It is in fact an inflatable building with a floor area of 2,000 square feet.
Yet another wonder of technology, the inflatable building is being put to good use by Rotary International, which is playing a crucial role in the eradication of polio the world over.
Inside the inflatable building, one can learn about the great role Rotary International, in association with several organisations and governments of different countries, is playing to wipe out polio from the face of earth.
Noted surgeon and Rotary District 3020 Polio Programme chairman Kamineni Pattabhiramaiah said the inflatable building, which showcased the Rotary International ‘End Polio Now’ programmes, was on a long journey in the country. It entered Andhra Pradesh at Srikakulam and Kakinada was its next stop.
At the end of the day, the building would be simply deflated and folded and carried to the next place, he said.
If all goes well, India would be declared polio-free in another couple of years. In three years, there was a chance of the entire world being declared polio-free.
Pakistan was the only country where there were two polio cases last year. Cases were recorded in Afghanistan and Nigeria a year earlier.
No polio case had been recorded in India since January 2011. Several organisations were fighting for eradication of polio along with Rotary and it spent 1.5 billion dollars till date.
But, one more billion dollars was needed to eradicate the disease totally, Dr. Pattabhiramaiah explained.
