Yes…Polio is still a problem

In the midst of the flu season and the Covid-19 outbreak, polio is not at the forefront of most people’s minds. This is especially apparent in the United States where there have been no polio cases for the past 40 years, according to an article from Vax Before Travel. This is an example of one of the many privileges that come with living in the United States. Polio, which can cause paralysis and death, has not been an issue in the United States for so many years because we have access to vaccines which results in herd immunity. This is especially important because children are most at risk. Not every country is so fortunate to have eradicated the disease. Vax Before Travel writes that the CDC is warning people that “various countries primarily located in central and eastern Africa” are experiencing polio outbreaks. 

These countries experiencing the outbreaks are now rushing to get as many people vaccinated as possible. Ghana is one of the countries that has seen recent polio cases and they are taking action to fight it. According to Business Ghana, “The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is to begin a Nationwide Inactive Polio Vaccine (IPV) immunization campaign to immunize children under five years against polio virus type two”. The Inactive Polio Vaccine has only been available in Ghana since 2018, due to “global shortages”. The other type of polio vaccine is referred to as OPV which stands for the Oral Polio Vaccine. IPV is considered the best version of the vaccine and is most successful against fighting Polio Virus Type 2 which is the cause of the recent outbreaks. 

The privilege of the west and other developed countries is highlighted by the disparities of countries like Ghana. Developing nations are struggling to eradicate a disease that we haven’t seen in 40 years. I think it is unfortunate that major advancements in the public health field, such as IPV, are unequally enjoyed by wealthy nations. While many nations like Ghana were facing IPV shortages up until 2018 and could only administer OPV, the United States clearly wasn’t being affected. Vax Before Travel wrote that “The IPV has been the only polio vaccine offered in the USA since 2000”. This is alarming to me and should be alarming to others, but many people don’t even see the problem because Western media doesn’t acknowledge that there is a polio outbreak. I could tell you details about the Kardasians and the Oscars but I didn’t even know that Polio was still an issue until I started this blog post. I encourage everyone to stay educated on current world events and spread awareness about what countries need help so that we don’t get lost in our cloud of privilege while other humans suffer.