Big B to be honoured for polio work

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is Unicef’s brand ambassador against polio, says he will be honoured for his contribution to the cause. “And the organisation that acknowledges social work for a cause, will honour yours truly for the work done as UNICEF ambassador for the fight against polio, which as you know has had some rather encouraging achievements,” Amitabh wrote on his blog bigb.bigadda.com. In February, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had taken India off the list of polio endemic countries. The 69-year-old was delighted to know that no case of polio reported last year. “For an entire year there has been no case of polio reported in the country for the first time since the campaign began. That is fantastic for a country plagued with the disease for years,” he said. A study commissioned by the health ministry and UNICEF and conducted by the Social and Rural Research Institute found that 73.6 percent guardians with children under the age of five in lower socio-economic categories could recall the polio TV ad featuring the star. “A gentle pat on the back, if I may. There is more to come, and when it does I shall inform. It is for another cause I have worked on. A most rewarding experience,” said Big B.