14 February 2018 2018, Latest News, Letters to Editors
Below is a copy of a letter from the National Chairman of The British Polio Fellowship, David Mitchell. In this letter, David comments on the success of immunisation programme overseas in protecting children against Polio.
I was delighted to hear that the first round of Pulse Polio Immunisation (IPPI) has been successfully administered to thousands of children across Kashmir under the age of five. I am heartened that the local government and relevant administrations are playing a very active role in this anti-Polio drive. Many Polio booths were set up and numerous workers and volunteers went door to door giving out the anti-Polio drops.
We must keep battling for children to be immunised against Polio in at-risk areas, to prevent the virus from taking a foothold again. To allow Polio to reinvigorate itself even in seemingly distant lands like Kashmir, could have devastating consequences for us all. Polio knows no international boundaries and it is capable of spreading across continents faster than one would care to have nightmares about.
The British Polio Fellowship applauds Kashmir and all involved in the ongoing efforts to consign Polio to the history books. 120,000 of us Polio survivors in the UK alone know just how lethal Polio can be. Us lucky ones are now living with Post Polio Syndrome (PPS), a debilitating neurological condition that surfaces many years after the original Polio virus is long-gone. It is an unwanted legacy that others should be spared from.
For further information about the British Polio Fellowship, visit www.britishpolio.org.uk or call 0800 043 1935.
Yours faithfully,David Mitchell
National Chairman, The British Polio Fellowship