What is the Polio Virus and has it been Eradicated in Africa?
Polio (Poliomyelitis) is an acute communicable disease of humans that causes an attack on the immune system leading to paralysis. Cases are much more rare in which paralysis occurs (only 1 out of every 200 cases), but the fast attacking virus and flu like symptoms makes it increasingly difficult to become aware of the severity before the damage has already been done. Most commonly, children under the age of five are impacted.
There are three known strains of the Polio Virus, and two of the three have been completely eradicated worldwide. The Africa Regional Certification Commission declared Africa Polio free on Tuesday, the twenty-fifth of August 2020, after reports of 95% of the population becoming immunized. The remaining strain is found in Afghanistan and Pakistan who are struggling to push forward vaccinations, as Africa was able to do so, due to the turmoil of control and warfare in the Middle East.
How was this accomplished?
The struggle of the Polio Virus has been an ongoing battle in Africa. This has caused faced draw back time after time due to the complicated places to deliver immunization campaigns and willingness to stick with the immunization efforts. One of the first steps made to face the Polio Virus was by Dr. Jonas Salk, in 1952, who gave hope that children would be able to be protected from this virus. By 1961 the first oral vaccine was pioneered by Albert Sabin which was used in the growing immunization campaigns.
After the devastating paralysis of 75,000 children across Africa, in 1996, due to the slow push of immunization and solution to this daunting problem Nelson Mandela launched "Kick Polio Out of Africa", mobilising millions of health workers who went village-to-village to hand-deliver vaccines. This had a gravitating effect on the World pulling in companies like the Rotary Club to get involved in the effort to deal with this problem head on. Since 1961 it's estimated that 1.8 million cases of wild poliovirus were able to be averted, and billions of oral vaccines were mobilized to each area of Africa.
What Difference has this Made?
It has taken a long time to achieve 95% eradication and overcome suspicion around the vaccine. The remaining communities at risk are the ones left with suspicion of the legitimacy of this vaccine which has been a main focus of the Nigerian Polio Survivors Association, which is made up of a combination of polio survivors and activists. They all have the common goal of eliminating this virus one community at a time. The President of this organization, Misbahu Lawan Didi, was a survivor of Poliovirus and has led this final push saying the role of survivors is crucial in persuading people to accept the campaign. Didi explained the weight of the problem in an interview, exclaiming, “Many rejected the polio vaccine, but they see how much we struggle to reach them, sometimes crawling large distances, to speak to them. We ask them: 'Don't you think it is important for you to protect your child not to be like us?'" Groups like this and many other activists have formed a major coalition, traveling and working together to “Kick Polio Out of Africa” one community at a time with great progress made every day.
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