October is Polio Awareness Month, with Polio SA highlighting that while many think it a disease of the past, over 400,000 Australians have had polio at some stage and, with this year’s outbreak in Papua New Guinea, it has never been more important to vaccinate our children against this debilitating disease.
Polio Australia will be hosting two large national events in Adelaide in October, with interstate guests to descend on the state to raise awareness and funds at the annual ‘Walk With Me’ walk and four-day Health and Wellness Retreat.
Many Australians don’t remember the terrible impact that the poliovirus had, which initially presented as flu-like symptoms and went on to cause paralysis in 1 in 200 cases, with some children being sent away from their families and put into care homes for years at a time.