Eradicating polio

SIR – The rush to vaccinate 320,000 children in Syria after a serious outbreak of polio last month is by no means an over-reaction. The virus is deadly and robust; we can never allow complacency to creep in.

War is the ideal breeding ground for polio, as it leads to interruptions to medical supplies and vital vaccination programmes. Not vaccinating en masse would risk polio gaining a foothold when we are so close to total global eradication of the disease.

Many who have had polio are left with the legacy of post-polio syndrome (PPS): a neurological condition that causes various symptoms, including new weakening in muscles previously unaffected by the virus. The 120,000 polio survivors in Britain with PPS are all too familiar with this. We need to support the efforts of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and try to ensure that war does not extend the tragic polio story for future generations. Ted Hill

CEO, The British Polio Fellowship Watford, Hertfordshire