Guest Speaker January 29t
Our Guest Speaker today was Dr. Lawrence Loh, talking about Polio Eradication and the Importance of Immunization
Re Polio, we know we have Come a Long Way. Dr. Loh showed us a slide comparing polio endemic countries when we started in 1988 contrasted with countries with polio today. The difference was Dramatic! With India now certified polio-free, there are just three countries still with polio. The problems are difficult terrain and the local culture, which make it very difficult to reach the children
There are three stages in the fight against polio:
Elimination – in a specified area
Eradication – worldwide, e.g. smallpox, eradicated in 1977
Extinction – the organism no longer exists in nature (the most difficult)
The Biological criteria:
Effective intervention
Effective screening and detection
Humans as the only reservoirs (not found in animals)
Methods:
Ring immunization – when a case arises, immunize everyone in that persons’ field of contacts
Screening and detection
Train Community Health Workers
Polio cases are usually mild, but in 1% of the cases polio enters the spinal cord at various places, causing paralysis. It is transmitted via fecal/oral transmission, and takes two immunizations to protect the person.
There are two types of immunization:
Oral polio (Sabin) which is a weakened polio virus. 1/1,000,000 cases can cause polio.
Inactivated polio (Salk), which is a killed virus. However, it takes more inoculations to be effective.
The oral polio immunization is the one most commonly used.
Final challenges:
Worldwide switch to inactivated immunizations
Ongoing surveillance/immunization programs
The WHO objectives, in which the current leader is Canada, for 2014:
No wild-type transmission
Strengthened surveillance systems
Certify all regions polio-free.
The key is adequate polio coverage
A current challenge is the incidence of measles outbreaks. This is due to the dropping levels of immunization. The Call to Action is:
Be informed and understand the importance of immunization
Advocate on behalf of immunization
Support immunizations
Remember: We are all Stronger as a Community!