Vaccines key for ending polio battle

Effort had setback with recent cases in Congo

When it comes to vaccinations, vigilance is critical. The world is on the cusp of eradicating polio, a global effort that has been a primary focus for health and service organizations for decades.

Thanks to that concentrated effort, polio had been reduced by 99.9 percent worldwide, and eliminated in all but three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, the Associated Press reports.

However, this week, that effort had a setback. The World Health Organization reports that two separate outbreaks of polio have been confirmed in the Congo, which are the first cases in that nation since 2012, according to the AP. The development is unfortunate. Polio is a highly infectious viral disease which mainly affects young children, according to WHO.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says polio is spread “through contact with the stool of an infected person and droplets from a sneeze or cough.” The virus can contaminate items like toys, and it can live in stool for many weeks. It can also contaminate food and water when people do not wash their hands.

Symptoms can be flu-like in nature, lasting for two to five days. But in rare cases, about 1 out of 100, people will have weakness or paralysis in their arms, legs or both, which can last for the rest of their lives. The CDC reports that about 2 to 5 children out of 100 with polio die from the illness because the virus impacts the muscles that help them breathe.

It’s a serious illness, and one that people have fought hard to eradicate.

That fight is one that countless Yuma County residents have participated in, through fundraising and vaccination efforts with local Rotary clubs. Rotary started global vaccination projects in 1979, and those efforts continue today.

And in the United States, our country has been polio-free for over 30 years, thanks to vaccinations. But as the cases in the Congo show, it’s critical that we remain vigilant on polio, continuing vaccination programs both in the U.S. and globally.

The world is incredibly close to eliminating this disease — let’s continue the fight until it’s completely eradicated.