Healthcare professionals, friends, family and Rotarians from the
Rotary Club of New Amsterdam took to the streets on Sunday morning to
participate in a walk aimed at raising public awareness of Polio.
The walk commenced at 7: 00 am at Palmyra and culminated at Number Two
Village, East Canje. Several participants held aloft banners with
slogans calling for the elimination of Polio.
According to the World Health Organization Polio is a highly
infectious viral disease which mainly affects young children. The
virus is transmitted by person-to-person transmission, mainly through
the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle and
multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous
system and can cause paralysis. There is no cure for Polio, it can
only be prevented by immunization.
President of the New Amsterdam Rotary Club Rafeek Kassim said they
will continue to raise awareness and fight against Polio until the
disease it is eradicated worldwide.
Kassim explained over the years the Rotary has always employed
sensitisation as a tool to fight against the disease and while they
have made tremendous strides and have been able to sustain it, the
main goal will be achieved only when polio is completely eliminated.
He also spoke of the importance of vaccination and practising proper
hygiene habits and urged parents to ensure their children receive
their Oral Polio Vaccine.
The WHO has reported the OPV vaccine has helped in the elimination of
polio and has reduced the number of cases reported each year from an
estimated 350,000 in 1988 to 22 in 2017. More than 16 million people
have been saved from paralysis because of vaccination efforts against
polio.
