A Middleton Delaware Rotarian, Mr. Nanni is widely recognized as Rotaries go-to guy to speak about the impact of polio on people's lives and our progress at eradicating the disease.  He starts by reminding us that it can be done.  Smallpox is the prime example.  His life has been impacted by three “P’s”:  Polio, Post Polio Syndrome and Rotaries Polio Plus campaign.

 

Nanni made comparisons to the COVID-19 pandemic to the world before the Salk-Sabin vaccines. One example is the ventilator of today was the iron lung of pre-vaccine times.  Polio was first documented 3500 years ago in Egypt but there is no reason to think that it did not exist prior to then.  Nanni contracted polio in 1953 as a very young boy.  He was paralyzed from the neck down for 6 months.  Similarly to the current pandemic, those hospitalized could not receive visitors, made worse by most polio patients being children.  He gives much of the credit to valiant efforts from his mother and an aunt for his being able to live a full life.

 

When Nunni turned 40 he started experiencing symptoms of Post-Polio Syndrome, a malady unknown to many of us.  Among the common symptoms are fatigue, weakness, pain, trouble sleeping, hypersensitivity to hot or cold, difficulty swallowing and intolerance to anesthesia and short term memory loss. After leading a fully active life Mr. Nanni now must use a wheelchair. His uses his experience to bring to our attention that diseases like polio, COVID, and measles have long term affects on suffers.  Although preventable by vaccine, 219,000 people died from measles in 2019.  Post polio syndrome is an example that even survivors may have health issues years later. Vaccines are estimated to prevent over three million deaths a year.  Vaccines have become so effective that some question their need. The illnesses they prevent have become so rare as to be forgotten. 

 

Rotary has been involved in promoting vaccines for decades, beginning with a trial project in the Philippines in 1979 and our world-wide campaign, Polio Plus, in 1985.  Rotary, Polio Plus and partners are on the verge of having a year without polio in the world.  Afghanistan and Pakistan each had just one case of polio in 2020.  Two cases in the world!  Mr. Nanni reminds us that airborne viruses like polio and COVID are easily spread.  With air travel, a case can spread to anywhere else in the world in 24 hours. 

 

As a call to arms, Nanni reminded us that only 10% of Rotarians make a direct donation to the Polio Plus campaign in a year and only 53% of clubs take part in the program.