A FIXBY couple are to lead a 34-strong Yorkshire team on a historic visit to India in a campaign to eradicate polio.

Dr John Philip and his wife, Chris, are travelling to the south Indian state of Kerala to help its Rotarians administer polio drops to thousands of children.

The team, which includes five Mirfield and two Huddersfield Rotarians, will fly out on Tuesday on a self-funding trip costing thousands of pounds.

Five days later on January 20, 172 million Indian children under five will receive two life-saving drops of polio vaccine in an awe-inspiring logistical exercise requiring industrial amounts of ice and planning.

Among them will be Sheila Dann, a member of Huddersfield Rotary Club.

And on her seventh visit will be Chris Philip, president of Mirfield Rotary Club.

She said: “The paralysing disease polio has been consigned to history in the UK.

“But the fight isn’t over yet – it is only a plane ride away.

“Currently the disease is endemic in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. These pockets cause a threat to our children.

“India which was an endemic country has successfully eradicated the disease.

“In the last two years there have been no new cases in that vast country thanks to mass immunisation of all children under five.

“If there are no new cases for another year, there may be no need for such national immunisation campaigns.

“A polio-free world was a vision Rotary International embraced 25 years ago and since then its members have raised billions of dollars and have invested millions of voluntary hours to ensure mass vaccinations.

“The 34-strong Yorkshire team will stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow Rotarians in Cochin immunising thousands of children with two drops of life-saving polio vaccine.

“We are on the brink of making history by beating polio once and for all.

“All but 0.1% of polio has been eradicated globally. There have been 175 cases so far in 2012 compared to 350,000 in 1988.

“But the recent shooting of polio health workers by Pakistani Taliban has cast a shadow over the battle against polio.

“Rotary is deeply concerned that such attacks deprive at-risk children of basic life-saving polio vaccinations.

“But Rotary members worldwide, will continue to do their utmost to create a safe environment so that its promise to the world’s children of a polio-free world is fulfilled in the very near future.

“We are going to India to express our solidarity with the local Rotarians because what happens in the subcontinent today could be of importance to us tomorrow”.