Photo by Ellyn W. Ogden, USAIDPolio is a disease most in the West think little about these days, as it was completely eradicated by 1994 in the Americas and 2002 in Europe. Polio was once the most feared of childhood diseases, in the early 20th century Polio epidemics crippled thousands of children each year, leaving many unable to walk, or live in an iron lung. The development of the Polio vaccine in 1952, brought both relief and joy the world over. However Polio is still very much alive, and campaigns to eradicate polio are still very needed, as every year polio still takes hold of the lives of thousands of children. As of July 31, 2007, there have been 337 cases of Polio, there where 1998 cases reported in 2006, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
As polio is an “acute viral infectious disease spread from person-to-person, primarily via the fecal-oral route”, thus it is more likely to be spread in rural areas with poor sanitation, a lack of health care and education…therefore the poor suffer in disproportionate numbers.
On February 28, 2007, the World Health Organization stated, that a ‘final attack’ on Polio was set into action, by states and international bodies. “Indigenous wild polio virus survives in only parts of four countries , Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan , where transmission has never been stopped…agreed to raise within 12 months, and then sustain for as long as needed, the levels of vaccination coverage and child immunity in the areas with endemic polio to levels that stopped the disease altogether in the polio-free parts of these countries. Ten other countries are currently fighting the tail-end of outbreaks caused by importations of polio virus” (WHO).
This month millions of children under the age of five are getting a fighting chance against Polio, as immunization campaigns are underway. In Northern Sudan a three-day campaign was launched with a target to immunize an estimated 5 million children. The Sudanese campaign comes in the wave of reports of [Polio cases in neighboring Chad (Campaign to immunize millions of children against polio). On August 7th, Pakistan launched its third nationwide immunization drive this year. The three days of immunizations are set to target 33.5 million children under five years old. Similarly in Afghanistan Polio immunizations are wrapping-up an immunization drive targeting 7.3 million children under five years old ( Cross border polio campaign targets 40 million children). According to officials in Tajikistan, a three day immunization campaign was a success in the areas bordering Afghanistan, as 300,000 children under the age of 3 years old, have been vaccinated (Polio campaign in Afghan border areas a success). Other campaigns began earlier this summer, such as the First-ever synchronized polio campaign between Namibia, Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo took place in June, aimed at immunizing all children under 5 years old.
Photo by WHO
This month as millions of children are vaccinated against Polio, their lives are changed forever! This summer immunization campaigns are a huge step in the right direction, and we should see similar campaigns in the coming months. One can hope that the pressure set by the international community will finally put Polio in its proper place, the past!
