| Dr. Kestner: Say goodbye to polio |
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By: By Dr. MARK KESTNER
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If you are younger than 60 you may never have observed first-hand the devastating effects of the disease known as polio. You may have heard of polio but the mention of the disease doesn’t evoke fear, as it once did for parents everywhere.
Even today adults that survived polio as children are experiencing late effects of the disease, known as post-polio syndrome. Chronic weakness and sometimes partial paralysis still plague victims that thought polio was something they had overcome in childhood.
Polio is short for poliomyelitis. The disease has also been called infantile paralysis. It is caused by the polio virus. Throughout the early 20th century and peaking in the summers of the 1950’s, polio outbreaks occurred throughout the world.
The virus attacks the nervous system, particularly neurons that control muscles. It is spread from person to person, usually in the warmer months. Epidemics occurred because the unfortunate ones that had just contracted the disease often showed no immediate symptoms. Mild cases may have even been undetected. Since the virus is particularly contagious, the unwitting victim would continue to spread the disease.
The virus can leave a child or adult crippled, unable to walk or sometimes even crawl. Severe cases could result in respiratory failure or death. Only two generations ago, for parents everywhere the word polio represented a nightmarish threat. Once a polio outbreak began, every parent had reason to worry if their child would be stricken. It seemed that nothing could stop the spread of the terrible disease.
You may recall the name Jonas Salk. Salk became world famous overnight when, on April 12, 1955, it was announced that he had produced a successful vaccine for polio.
Prior to 1955, vaccine for polio was impossible. Because it was so virulent, it was too dangerous to expose humans to the live virus. Salk successfully developed a way to use “killed” polio virus to inoculate humans.
You may not know the name Albert Sabin. Sabin developed an oral vaccine that could be administered by trained volunteers. This allowed vaccination to be used worldwide.
Even though the vaccines were largely effective in preventing the disease, it remained problematic to inoculate children around the world. In the United States, public health authorities were quick to respond to the new opportunity to control the epidemics. Vast vaccination operations sprang up overnight. Children were given the vaccine at schools, at public clinics, and in any other possible environment. Unless the disease was controlled in other countries however, the outbreaks would likely continue.
This is where Rotary International came in. Rotary International is a worldwide organization consisting of more than 32,000 local clubs in 200 countries. We are fortunate to have two local Rotary Clubs in Murfreesboro, one in Smyrna, and one in La Vergne. The clubs’ members are local business leaders that work together to help in local and international efforts.
In the 1980’s polio was still paralyzing over 1,000 children a day. Rotary International mobilized thousands of volunteers to travel to distant countries to assist in providing the polio vaccine. The incidence of polio has since declined by more than 99 percent. If not for the work of Rotary International, polio would still be a worldwide threat.
The work is not complete. There are still remote areas in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria where populations still have not been vaccinated. In those areas Rotary International continues to work to completely eradicate this menacing disease.
Throughout the history of the world, there have been few incidences of true cooperation on a global basis as successful as Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio. Through the cooperation of local Rotary Clubs around the world, Rotary has successfully crossed borders and united diverse peoples to stop this disease.
Why is Rotary working so diligently to complete this mission? As long as polio exists anywhere, there is a threat that it can again spread everywhere. You and I can help eradicate polio by supporting the fund-raising efforts of our local Rotary Clubs.
Next week I’ll have some memory tips that actually work. Until then, consider supporting Rotary’s work to make polio nothing but a memory.
Dr. Mark Kestner
mkestner@DrKestner.com
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