World Polio Day 2023: importance, history and celebration

World Polio Day: Every year on October 24, people around the world commemorate World Polio Day to draw attention to the need to completely eradicate this disease. The day also recognizes the persistent efforts of people doing everything they can to ensure that every child in the world receives the vaccine. Born on October 28, four days before the event that would become World Polio Day, Jonas Salk was an American virologist and medical researcher who created one of the first effective polio vaccines.

World Polio Day serves as a reminder of the importance of continuing vaccination efforts and highlights the need for funding and support to ensure all children have access to life-saving vaccines. It is a day to celebrate the achievements in polio eradication while recognizing the work that still needs to be done to make polio a thing of the past.

World Polio Day 2023

A virus that attacks the nervous system is what causes polio, a serious and extremely contagious disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this disease is so dangerous that 1 in 200 patients who suffer from it are at risk of developing irreversible paralysis. As a result, the global importance of polio eradication was recognized. For this reason, World Polio Day is an important occasion to promote vaccination and polio eradication.

World Polio Day is a major annual celebration that aims to raise awareness about the devastating effects of polio and the ongoing efforts to eradicate this disease. Polio, a highly contagious viral infection, primarily affects young children and can cause paralysis or even death. However, thanks to global vaccination campaigns led by organizations such as Rotary International and the World Health Organization, significant progress has been made in reducing the number of polio cases around the world.

World Polio Day Overview

What is polio?

Commonly known as “polio,” polio is a serious disease caused by the poliovirus that can leave victims paralyzed or disabled. It affects a person’s spinal cord, limiting the movement of various parts of the body. A smaller percentage of people infected with poliovirus may have certain major symptoms that damage the brain and spinal cord. Most people infected with poliovirus do not have any symptoms or may experience minor symptoms.

There is no known cure for polio; The only way to avoid getting the disease is to avoid getting infected. Before the age of five, children should receive the polio vaccine or drops. This can help prevent the disease and, in the long term, will be crucial to its eradication.

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History of polio and its vaccination

An extremely contagious disease, polio attacks the nervous system and can cause respiratory and spinal paralysis and, in some circumstances, death. The disease, which usually affects young children, is believed to have been around since the Stone Age.

British physician Michael Underwood first noticed the disease in 1789, and it was not until German physician Jakob Heine that the disease was first identified in 1840. At Boston Children’s Hospital, John Enders, Thomas Weller, and Frederick Robbins cultivated with poliovirus success in humans. woven in 1949. American doctor Jonas Salk produced the first effective polio vaccine four years after the virus was cultivated, marking a major turning point in the history of polio therapy.

Every year on October 24, World Polio Day is celebrated to pay tribute to Jonas Salk for his medical discovery of the disease and to raise public awareness about the disease.

Importance of World Polio Day

Since polio is a life-threatening disease, its effects last a lifetime. While there is currently no cure, treatment may be helpful. People with this disease may never be able to walk again, and in severe situations, it may even make it impossible for them to move at all. However, the virus can be completely eradicated with strict precautions and regular vaccinations.

To adopt and implement such strict measures to ensure that polio does not continue to affect the children of our future generations, World Polio Day provides the ideal opportunity. The day offers an opportunity to highlight international efforts to achieve a polio-free world and thank the people who have worked tirelessly to eradicate polio on every continent.

Celebration of World Polio Day 2023

Around the world, different government entities, organizations and countries will commemorate World Polio Day in 2023. A conference will be held and streamed live on the WHO website to review the efforts of the World Polio Organization. Health and Rotary International to promote vaccination and eradicate polio. the illness. The seminar will examine all elements of polio and how it affects children and their mothers under the theme “A healthier future for mothers and children.”

Polio, vaccination and maternal and child health professionals will be able to attend the meeting and share their knowledge with the world. Anyone can participate in this online conference to learn more about polio, its treatment and prevention. If you know of a charity that works to improve the lives of children affected by polio, consider volunteering for a day to learn more about this topic and help those in need.

Why is World Polio Day celebrated?

On this day, groups around the world, including Rotary International, the World Health Organization and others, honor those who have contributed to the battle to eradicate polio around the world. Along with this happy note, it also aims to raise awareness among the population about the need to contain the virus and its possible outbreaks and raise money to achieve this goal.

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Some important facts about polio

It is commonly known that polio is a dangerous disease. But these details should deepen your understanding of the disease and highlight the importance of World Polio Day.

Polio can also be transmitted from person to person through coughing or sneezing, as well as through infectious feces, contaminated water, and infected human waste.
Although anyone of any age can contract the disease, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and young children under five years old are most commonly affected.
There are two main subtypes of the disease: the first is abortive poliomyelitis, a mild condition that does not affect the central nervous system (CNS). The second form, which can be paralytic or non-paralytic and directly affects the CNS, is more serious. About 95% of the time, the condition has no symptoms.
Another aspect of the disease is post-polio syndrome, which in some situations can cause polio survivors to relapse after years of recovery.
If the respiratory muscles are also paralyzed in people with paralysis, between 5 and 10% of patients die.
Since there is no known treatment for polio, vaccination is the only effective method of protection and newborns should receive the same vaccines at the scheduled time. A single infection can endanger children around the world.
Wild poliovirus type 3 has been declared eliminated worldwide as of 2020, according to the Global Commission for the Certification of Polio Eradication.

Conclusion

World Polio Day is celebrated on October 24 every year to raise awareness about the importance of eradicating polio. This global initiative aims to highlight the progress made in the fight against polio and build support for continued efforts to eliminate this debilitating disease. Polio, caused by the poliovirus, can cause paralysis and even death. Thanks to extensive vaccination campaigns, the number of polio cases has decreased significantly over the years. However, there are still regions of the world where polio remains endemic. World Polio Day serves as a reminder that we must remain vigilant and committed to achieving a polio-free world.

Frequently asked questions about World Polio Day

Why do we celebrate World Polio Day?

World Polio Day is celebrated every year on October 24. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the importance of polio vaccination to protect children from this destructive disease. It also serves as an opportunity to recognize and honor the efforts of parents, professionals and volunteers who have played a crucial role in making polio eradication possible.

What is World Polio Day?

Every year on October 24, we celebrate World Polio Day. Polio is an extremely contagious disease caused by a virus known as the polio virus. Although not common, this virus has the ability to attack the areas of the brain responsible for breathing, which could lead to death. While there is no cure for polio, it can be prevented through vaccination.

WHO invented the polio vaccine?

An inactivated (killed) polio vaccine (IPV) developed by Dr. Jonas Salk and first used in 1955, and. Live attenuated (weakened) oral polio vaccine (OPV) developed by Dr. Albert Sabin and first used in 1961.

When was polio launched?

In 1995, India introduced the Pulse Polio immunization program as part of the Universal Immunization Programme, which aimed to achieve 100% coverage. This initiative followed the World Health Organization’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. The most recent cases of wild polio in India were reported in West Bengal and Gujarat on January 13, 2011.