LEDBURY Rotarian, Jan Long is set to travel to India on a New Year mercy mission, to help eradicate polio.

She will work alongside medical staff in the Delhi region of India, where she will help to immunise people against the poliovirus.

Mrs Long says she is "passionate about the eradication of polio around the world", having seen children suffering through paralysis and breathing difficulties, when she lived abroad in Africa and other countries.

She will be in India from January 25, where she will be representing 69 Rotary clubs, including Ledbury, and she will be accompanied by a mascot, Harrison the Rotary ‘End Polio Now’ campaign bear.

Mrs Long will join forces with 70 other people from around the UK, all of whom will be based in different areas of India.

She said: "Like many other infectious diseases, polio victims tend to be some of the most vulnerable members of the population. This includes the very young, pregnant women, and those with immune systems that are substantially weakened by other medical conditions.

"Anyone who has not been immunised against polio is especially susceptible to contracting the infection."

Mrs Long and the other volunteers will be administering the immunisation which involves two drop given orally.

She said: "This relatively simple medication has already saved millions of lives and eradicated the disease in every country except Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"Although India has been declared polio free, the immunisation work must continue for at least a year to ensure the country is finally free."

Mrs Long added that Rotary is usually known for its work in the local community, such as that which Ledbury is famous for, but we also work internationally, and this is a challenge for the world as Polio is so infectious "it is only a plane ride away".

Mrs Long visited India as a tourist a decade ago; but this time she will be working "to help rid the world of this terrible scourge, which maims and kills".

She added: "Getting children to come forward for their vaccine is helped by the giving of a gift, usually a ballpoint pen as they are very keen to learn to write."

Because of this, Mrs Long is asking if there are any businesses in Ledbury who would be willing to donate biros, so that these can be given as gifts to children being immunised."