LETTER

The final effort against polio

 

Polio (poliomyelitis) is a severe and crippling disease, which can lead to irreversible paralysis and death. It is highly infectious and, since there is no cure, prevention is the primary weapon against this disease.

Since 1988, new polio cases have dropped 99%, thanks to actions like the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. World-wide vaccination efforts have banned this disease, and since 1994, Canada is considered polio-free. Despite these actions, there are still two countries (Afghanistan and Pakistan) where polio is endemic, and several other countries where polio still exists.

October 24th is “World Polio Day”, reminding us that as long as children are becoming sick with polio, all children are at risk, even here in Canada. By encouraging policy-makers to commit to increasing the budget towards development assistance and global initiatives to fight this disease, we can end polio for good!

Karolin Klement, PhD
Calgary