World Polio Day: Battle against polio offers lessons on COVID control

 “Polio vaccine took 18 years to be perfected. Even then, access and distribution to the vaccine is important. In the early days, there were access issues to the polio vaccine for family members with regard to travel. When developing COVID-19 vaccine, issues like these must be kept in mind,” said Dr Aishwarya Rao, a polio survivor and paediatrician.

 For Meenakshi, a polio survivor and disability rights activist, there is a possibility of contracting the disease again, which may cause secondary disabilities and illnesses. Prevention is key, but Meenakshi added that holistic accessibility is also important for people with disability.

 “It’s not just about visiting the hospital. It’s about whether people with disability can avail the needed healthcare services easily. For example, a hearing-impaired person might find it difficult in hospitals without sign language interpreters. A big issue that many people had in the early days of the pandemic was the accessibility of hospitals, and this extends to every level of healthcare,” she said. Terms like ‘herd immunity’ came to forefront when discussing polio vaccination, and are creeping up again, said Dr Aishwarya. With polio cases reported last year in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the CDC has urged countries to stay ahead with vaccination, a sentiment that Dr Aishwarya concurs.

 “Even if 90 out of 100 children are immunised, the remaining 10 unimmunised children are safe. The transmission is cut. This is the same for polio and COVID. It’s important that people recognise the importance of protecting the smaller, more vulnerable groups,” she said.