MetLife joins fight to eradicate polio

Polio eradication messages such as 'Polio ka koi ilaaj nahi, 2 boond har bar hai bachav sahi', 'Pehle 5 saal, mere bachchon ko 2 boond har bar', can be seen on public transport buses.

MetLife India Insurance Company (MetLife) has recently partnered with the India Unite to End Polio Now (IUEPN) campaign, supported by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), for a polio eradication awareness campaign, using out of home media to spread the message.

As part of the campaign, specially branded public buses are plying across cities, with polio eradication messages such as 'Polio ka koi ilaaj nahi, 2 boond har bar hai bachav sahi', and 'Pehle 5 saal, mere bachchon ko 2 boond har bar'.

The campaign has also utilised spaces on HOHO buses in Delhi (Hop-on, Hop-off buses which connect various historical monuments), for spreading awareness messages.

Similar campaigns on buses are also being carried out in Mumbai and Kolkata.

As a communication partner for the IUEPN programme, MetLife also sent out SMSes to all its customers, with an aim to create awareness for polio eradication, and also to notify them about the pulse polio due date on June 26. The SMS urged people to protect their children by vaccinating them against polio.

In an official communiqué, Rajesh Relan, managing director, MetLife India, says, "MetLife believes that India's future lies in its children and hence, it is of utmost importance to secure and safeguard them from the uncertainties of life. Children have been at the centre of many initiatives taken at MetLife -- from helping secure children's dreams to insuring their future, MetLife has constantly looked at making an impact by helping the development of the country's young. Today, we are proud to be associated with the IUEPN campaign of UNICEF towards total eradication of polio."

For the record, IUEPN is an initiative implemented by Aidmatrix Foundation, supported by UNICEF and a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), World Health Organisation (WHO), National Polio Surveillance Project (NPSP), Rotary International, and the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC).