The Viral

World Polio Day: Awareness to save millions

World Polio Day: Awareness to save millions

October 24th, 2019

Today is World Polio Day and no, the World is not Polio-free yet! And do you know how this viral disease can be prevented? Simple, through awareness!

Okay, well so polio has been around since a long time. And by a long time we mean, roughly 6,000 years! Yes, that’s right, it’s been that long.

World Polio Day: Awareness to save millions

So, why is polio so deadly?

  1. Because it directly affects your nervous system
  2. Because when infected with the poliovirus one can become paralyzed
  3. Because it can result in an untimely death, mainly due to paralysis
  4. Because once infected, it takes only a few minutes for the virus to spread and become deadly
  5. Because it can spread from person to person (yes, much like an epidemic)
  6. And the worst of them all – there is no cure!

Now, one might wonder, how come we have not been able to deal with polio effectively? Well, efforts have been ongoing for quite some time now and India from being the country with the maximum number of reported polio cases in 2009, has shown a steady decline over the last 10 years…but, it is yet to be polio-free.

World Polio Day: Awareness to save millions

What are the ways of preventing polio?

Polio vaccines are the best ways to prevent this disease. Since it is most likely to affect children below 5 years of age, this vaccination is meant for every newborn across both rural and urban places. It can affect adults too, but this vaccine helps in developing a life-long immunity against this deadly virus.

World Polio Day: Awareness to save millions

What happens on World Polio Day?

The Rotary International decided to celebrate 24th October as the World Polio Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of Jonas Salk. Why Jonas Salk? Well, he and his team were the first ones to come up with a polio vaccine. Albert Sabin is the one credited to have developed the oral polio vaccine which is used worldwide today. This day is celebrated every year by various rotary organizations across the world by conducting various awareness campaigns.

This year, do something from your end – help spread the awareness!