Committed to the fight to end polio

When people imagine an iron lung, it is usually in black and white.

We recall old photos showing rows of machines enclosing patients ravaged by polio in 1950s wards.

It may surprise you to learn that some people survived for six decades trapped inside one of these terrifying devices.

Visiting a Rotary conference recently the President of Huntingdon Cromwell club was invited to get inside one of these cream cylinders. It was unnerving to see Chris’s seemingly disembodied human head emerging from one end.

We could just see his chest through the tiny submarine windows. It was not working otherwise we would have heard the characteristic regular whoosh. Chris was very relieved to be released after several minutes!

When Rotary took up the challenge to eradicate polio from the world the disease was endemic in 125 countries.

There were 350,000 reg- istered new cases every year – 40 children affected every hour. There is no cure for the disease so the task was to vaccinate every child. In the last 30 years Rotarians have raised millions of pounds to meet the challenge. Thousands of case workers have worked tirelessly often in dangerous and difficult conditions to ensure that every child is vaccinated.

To date more than 2.6 billion children have been vaccinated. In 2015, there were just 74 reported cases of polio worldwide.

In 2016 that number dropped to 37 and so far this year just five new cases. Our work is not over. Even when there are no further cases it will be three years before the world can be officially declared polio free.

We must also remember the support needed by those still suffering from the effects of this ravaging disease and those experiencing post polio syndrome.

At our conference one of the many inspiring speakers was Ade Adepitan. Having survived polio as a youngster he has since succeeded as an International Paralympic wheelchair basketball player.

Ade is a familiar face on TV winning medals of all colours, hosting sporting events and presenting his documentary “Journey of a Lifetime” when he returned to his birthplace, Nigeria.

He co-hosted Children in Need raising £46.6 million.

There is much more to come – we can’t wait to see what he’s been up to.

What an ambassador for polio survivors.

Ade Adepitan.