Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that took hold worldwide – sound familiar? 

Cromwell Rotary president Pam Broadhead points to strong parallels between the polio epidemics of the 20th century and our current worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

There is much to learn from the past, she says.

“We think of polio as some third world country thing and old hat, but it’s not.”

“In actual fact we’ve entered a whole new world of what was polio for our parents and grandparents.”

Polio is easily spread by coughing, sneezing or sharing drink bottles.

It is also spread by contact with the faeces of an infected person, this can happen if people don’t wash their hands after going to the toilet or changing babies’ nappies.

New Zealand’s first major polio outbreak was recorded in 1914. Epidemics, usually lasting up to two years, occurred every few years until the early 1960s.

A major outbreak gripped New Zealand for more than two years after World War 2. All primary and secondary schools in New Zealand were closed throughout the long summer and autumn period.

Children were expected to complete lessons by correspondence and listened to school broadcasts on radio.

New Zealand health authorities issued immunity passports, gatherings were forbidden and widespread quarantine rules were applied nationwide in a bid to contain the outbreak.

Polio has now disappeared from New Zealand and most parts of the world, and according to the Ministry of Health, this is largely as a result of immunisation.

There is no cure for the viral disease – it can only be prevented.

However, polio still exists in some overseas countries, and could be re-introduced into New Zealand by travellers and immigrants, so it is vital to continue the immunisation programme here.

Polio is still an issue in Afghanistan and Pakistan

The drive to complete eradication of polio worldwide is an ongoing project by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, of which the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Rotary International are both partners.

“By showing that you can actually fully eradicate polio on a worldwide scale, and ensuring we see it through to its final end, we have insights into our future with coronavirus.

“We have to get rid of coronavirus because its nasty – polio shows us this is possible.

“It’s good to have evidence that complete eradication is possible – you just have to be determined and see it through to the end.”

“As we’re having our Secret Shed Tour on World Polio Day, we’ve already got a way of highlighting the importance of eliminating polio completely.”

Afghanistan and Pakistan are listed by the WHO as two countries still affected by ongoing endemic wild polio virus transmission.

“We will have a map of those countries at the youth centre this morning and we invite people to come and place a gold coin on the map.

“Covering the countries with gold coins is a way to raise money for the cause, but it is also a graphical depiction of removing polio from those countries, a reminder, and it gives us a chance to talk to people about it.”

Pam said people could pop into The Hangout youth centre in Cromwell this morning, place a gold coin on the map for polio, and do their bit to support complete eradication of a viral disease.

Appvertisement