Hyderabad: World Polio Day is celebrated every year on October 24th with the aim of spreading public awareness about polio eradication and polio vaccination around the world.
India is said to be a polio-free nation, but there are still some countries in the world where complete freedom from this complex disease has not been possible yet. For decades, the World Health Organization and many government and non-governmental organizations of almost all countries of the world, have worked hard to eradicate this disease and protect every child from this disease. Many health and social awareness programs and campaigns are conducted so that children can get the protection of vaccines.
World Polio Day is celebrated every year on October 24th with the aim of providing direction to this campaign and spreading awareness among people on the global stage about polio eradication and polio vaccination. In the year 2022, this day is being celebrated on the theme “A healthier future for mothers and children”.
Significantly, till 30 years ago, polio was considered a common disease in India. But the result of various campaigns and efforts of many government and non-government organizations, including the Pulse Polio campaign of the Government of India, led to India being declared free from polio by the World Health Organization on March 27th 2014.
Earlier in 1995, the "Pulse Polio Vaccination Program" was started in India as a result of the World Health Organization's global polio eradication effort. Under which all children below the age of 5 years were given two doses of oral polio vaccine in the months of December and January every year. Organizations like UNICEF and Rotary International have also played an important role in this campaign along with the Ministry of Health of India and the World Health Organization. Even now, under the pulse polio campaign of the Government of India, children are given polio doses from door to door.
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The celebration of this day was started by Rotary International. This day is celebrated every year on 24 October to commemorate the birthday of Jonas Salk, the scientist who discovered the polio vaccine. Significantly, Jonas Salk and his team discovered the polio vaccine in the year 1955.
Polio is actually an infectious disease that can not only cause disability but can also be fatal. In this infectious viral disease also known as Poliomyelitis, the nerves become severely affected, due to which the bones, brain and spine can be damaged, as well as problems like paralysis and difficulty in breathing. Sometimes it even leads to death. It mostly occurs in children under 5 years of age and affects them throughout their life. Therefore, to prevent polio, it is considered very important to give a dose of polio medicine to children from 0 to 5 years.
The polio virus spreads through contaminated water, and food, exposure to infected faeces, sneezing of an infected person and direct contact with a person infected with the virus. At the same time, after coming under the influence of this virus, first children show mild flu symptoms, which keep appearing for about 10 days. Apart from this, symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, vomiting, sore throat, neck pain, muscle weakness, meningitis, pain or cramps in the arms or legs, and back pain can also be seen in the victims.
Even though our country is called a polio-free country, continuous efforts are necessary for the further generation to be saved from this complex disease. That is why in our country, polio dose is provided to the children by the government at every possible nearest place including their home, 'Anganwadi' centres, dispensary and school.
To keep children safe from not only polio but many other complex diseases, it is very important that they be fully vaccinated. Especially to prevent polio, young children should be given vaccines and regular doses of polio medicine at the right time. It is worth noting that under the Pulse Polio Campaign, children are given four doses as per IVP. In this, a polio booster is given at 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months, and 4 to 6 years.
