After 35 Years, Polio Has Been Cornered. We Must Finish the Job.

By Joe Randig and Carol Ferguson

Since 1988, Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have reduced polio cases by 99.9% worldwide. The wild poliovirus is circulating only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That’s why we celebrate World Polio Day on October 24th.

For us it’s deeply personal because we’re polio survivors. We are asking everyone to help us finish the job and end polio for good, so that this paralyzing disease does not return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk.

Throughout our State, we speak about the realities of the poliovirus, encourage vaccine acceptance and share factual vaccination information. Together we must continue the march toward global eradication and do our part to prevent polio outbreaks.

Why? Last summer polio paralyzed a 20-year-old man in NY. Polio was eradicated in the US in 1979, yet because of lack of vaccination in the US, we have been added to this list of Outbreak Countries, along with Canada, Israel and the UK. One lesson learned during the polio epidemics is that there are hundreds of asymptomatic poliovirus infections for each paralytic case, meaning that many of those infected with polio were so mildly affected that they didn’t even know they'd had the virus. Just because someone had no symptoms or minor flu-like symptoms, showing no obvious weakness or paralysis, doesn’t mean that the poliovirus didn’t do damage to neurons in the brain and spinal cord.

We have an opportunity to make history by ending polio, making it the 2nd disease in history to be eradicated through the use of vaccination. The time for action is now.

Get involved. Donate to the Rotary Foundation. For every dollar you donate, the Gates Foundation will turn it into three.

The PA Polio Survivors Network, managed by and for polio survivors and their caregivers, has become a part of the solution. Join us. If polio exists anywhere it is a threat to children everywhere.

Joe Randig is Western Pennsylvania Coordinator, Allegheny County, PA, and Carol Ferguson is Rotarian and Network Founder, Bucks County, PA, for the PA Polio Survivors Network. For more information, visit polionetwork.org.