Oswego Rotary Club Observes World Polio Day

In preparation for World Polio Day on October 24, the Oswego Rotary Club had a program on polio at its’ October 21 meeting. It was presented by Club member, Steve Ingerson, a polio survivor who contracted the disease in August 1961. Ingerson shared his story as well as information about polio.
It is believed that there have been cases of polio in history as far back as 1400BC. Although there have been sporadic cases over the centuries, the first documented outbreak was in Norway in 1868. Epidemics increased in scope and intensity into the 20th century until, by the 1940’s and 1950’s, polio killed or paralyzed over 500,000 globally each year. Most of those victims were children. Polio was initially referred to as Infantile Paralysis.
One of the first inventions to alleviate the effects of polio was the iron lung developed in 1928 by Philip Drinker, an American engineer, and Louis Shaw, a physician. The first step toward preventing the disease was the development of vaccines. Dr. Jonas Salk developed the first in 1955 and in 1961 Albert Sabin introduced the oral vaccine, which was easier to administer and more effective in mass immunization.
The fight against polio continued with efforts to expand immunization programs globally. Rotary International has played an important role in this effort, launching a worldwide campaign in 1985. Rotary continues to work to eradicate this disease as there continue to be isolated outbreaks.
Another issue addressed was the importance of vaccines. This is especially important as we are not only seeing new cases of polio, but also of other diseases such as measles. Ingerson shared his life-long effects of having had polio, including post-polio syndrome. He contracted polio after having received the Salk vaccine but explained that the vaccine mitigated the effects of the disease. Without having been vaccinated doctors said his chances of dying were about 50% and of being totally paralyzed almost 100%.
Polio’s history is a powerful story of scientific triumph and global cooperation, but also a reminder that eradication requires sustained effort.

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