Poliomyelitis, or poliomyelitis, is an infectious disease that can cause irreversible paralysis. The peculiarity of the disease lies in its onset, which can be late. A person may suffer from post-polio syndrome, which appears on average thirty-five years after infection.
1500 cases of polio
To mark the eighty-fifth anniversary of the ASPR, a meeting was held at Piton Square to discuss with stakeholders. In this context, the city of Friborg purchased 1,500 tulips from the Rotary Association, which launched a tulip campaign against polio. Each tulip of this variety sold allows one hundred and thirty children to be vaccinated.
The Association’s goal is to raise awareness of this disease so that we do not abandon compulsory vaccination, the only existing means of protection against this disease. Even if no cases of the disease have been reported since 1982, Switzerland is not immune to the emergence of new cases. Symptoms of the virus often go undetected, so migration inadvertently brings him back to Switzerland. Although 95% of the population would be sufficient to effectively combat the disease, in the Appenzell region, for example, the vaccination rate is around 70%.
In Switzerland, several thousand polio survivors live with paralysis. Daily life has been greatly impacted by a virus that began at least thirty years ago. Christian Feldhausen, head of marketing and communications at the association, explains: “Mobility problems get worse with age. Most of the people who survived the latest epidemics in Switzerland are now in their seventies, eighties or even nineties. need physiotherapy, home care We are talking about adapting to a new life with possible paralysis.
Several people in the canton have been affected by the disease. Among them is Barbara Muron, a nine-year-old resident of Friborg who has lived with the disease all her life. Today, she describes herself as a fighter who was lucky to be where she is today.
Global participation
Polio has not been completely eradicated worldwide, but the number of cases has dropped significantly since the 1990s. Although 350,000 cases were reported worldwide in 1988, only a few endemic countries remained in October 2023, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, until the virus is completely eradicated, there remains a risk of the virus re-emerging in areas where it has been eradicated. For more information
Radio Pr. – Timothy Montavon / Camille Berset
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