Last Child: The Global Race to End Polio

This project uses the medium of film in an effort to personalise the crippling disease and create empathy both for those who are fearful of vaccinating their children against it and for those who work to overcome those misunderstandings. In short, the visual medium is used to share experiences, to the end of disbanding the myth that polio is a disease of the past, communicate the impact that polio has on individual lives, and generate motivation among individuals and communities to participate in the effort to eradicate it.

Filmmaker Scott Thigpen visited 8 countries on 4 continents to make The Last Child, which was planned as a celebration of the imminent eradication of polio but became a testament to the obstacles impeding the campaign against the disease. The crew collected nearly 200 hours of video footage, including 90 interviews with epidemiologists, doctors, government officials, vaccinators, humanitarian workers, community volunteers, religious leaders, and polio survivors, and their families. Highlights of the one-hour film include:

• Overcoming community fear and suspicion during immunisation campaigns in India
• Containing an outbreak in Nigeria by searching for nomadic tribes that have been repeatedly missed by vaccinators
• Navigating war-torn Angola and Somalia to reach every child for immunisation
• Combating a vaccine-related outbreak in Haiti.

The film project is accompanied by a website that is designed to inform and mobilise viewers, educators, and media personnel, hopefully generating discussion and motivating action. For example, a learning section includes links to further articles about polio in the popular press, a frequently asked questions area, a polio facts section, a timeline (the history of polio from 1580 B.C. to the present), maps and status reports, details about partners in the fight against polio, and a resources section. Furthermore, the Take Action section encourages citizens to host an event to raise awareness about eradication efforts (organisers will share ideas over email, provide a toolkit, and work to help provide a speaker for an event). Other tools offered here are an online letter to be used for urging legislative support for polio eradication, a sample "letter to the editor" that citizens may send to their local newspaper to make their community aware of the importance of eradication efforts, and various opportunities for unpaid or paid work with polio immunisation campaigns. An online donation is another of the Take Action steps. In addition, o help spread the word about the issues highlighted in the film, a press toolkit and teacher's guide are also available for download here.

Polio, Immunisation & Vaccines, Children, Health.

Organisers indicate that the 15-year, US$3 billion effort to eradicate polio has accomplished a reduction in polio by 99% (from approximately 350,000 cases per year to fewer than 1,000). Twenty million volunteers worldwide have immunised over 2 billion children, they say. However, in the words of the film's director/producer, "As The Last Child shows, there are several obstacles to achieving the global eradication of polio, including war, virus mutations, poor sanitation, cultural misunderstandings and a critical shortage in funding. Fortunately, the eradication campaign has forged unprecedented public and private partnerships in public health."

Organisers expect that televised programme will potentially reach over 85 million USA households. In addition, The Last Child was scheduled to air on NHK Japan and to be screened at the Rome International Film Festival and the Asheville Film Festival.