But honestly, folks. Is there anyone here who would choose to go without a polio vaccine? Want to experience the fun of an iron lung -- for the rest of your life?
The Rotary Club has been at the forefront of disseminating polio vaccines around the world. Just as we were able to eradicate smallpox from the earth, we have been thisclose to eradicating polio from the earth as well. In 1988, polio was endemic in 125 countries. Ten years later, that was reduced to a third of that number. Another ten years, and only 5 countries were polio-endemic.
But then people started spreading anti-vaccination messages. In Kano, Nigeria, clerics alleged that Americans had put contraceptives in those vaccines. So now, for the first time since 1988, live polio cases were being recorded.
Now, only Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan have cases of polio, undoing the work of close to 30 years.
So, yeah, I understand the fears that some people have towards vaccinations generally -- but at least in the case of polio, the paranoia has negative and quite disastrous consequences. Because polio (if you've never seen the end results of it, and I have) is a terrible way to have to live.