By Chuks NZEH
As part of efforts to enhance the mobility of Polio survivors, and encourage them to make the best out of their lives in the society, the Rotary Club of Abuja Sapphire, has donated wheel chairs to survivors of the dreaded virus.
The event which held over the weekend in Abuja, was to commemorate the Rotary International’s Annual Polio Eradication month of October, which brought together Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, Parents of Polio survivors, advocates for inclusion of people living with disabilities, Polio survivors and Rotarians, with a call for the Nigerian elites to invest in people living with disabilities to enhance their potentials in the society.
Speaking at the event the President of the Rotary Club of Abuja Sapphire, Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Oramah, noted that the month of October, annually is dedicated to the Eradication of Polio and for us at the Rotary Club Abuja Sapphire, we are celebrating today and that is why have assembled here today, to present these wheel chairs, to remind polio survivors that is ability in disability, like we all know being disabled is not the end of the world. We have testimonies of success stories like some of those we have heard here today, how polio survivors have gone through education and now help others to become better people in the society.
He also called on Nigerians with means, just like the Rotary Club is doing, it is very important to put resources together to fight not only polio but also to support persons living with disabilities because they can be very useful to the world.
In her presentation titled ” From Paralysis to Prevent: The Story of Polio”
Pharmacist Sylvia Oluchi Asogwa, noted that Polio was one of the most dreaded disease around 1948 -1955, that like the lockdown during the COVID 19 Virus, that there was a standstill in the world at those times, when children could not play the way to ought to and there were no social gatherings, because of the process of transmitting the disease to others, through sneezing, coughing among others.
According to her this culminating to the declaration of polio as public health challenge, and the institution of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, GPEI, by the World Health Organisation, WHO, Rotary International, Global Alliance for Vaccines, GAVI, Bill Gates foundation, United Nations Children Find, UNICEF, and US, Centre for Disease Control, USCDC, in 1988 which has led to the 99% Eradication of the virus from the world as at today, adding that the countries yet to be declared polio free are Pakistan and Afghanistan in the whole world.
She called for sustained advocacy, and encouraged survivors to take advantage of the Wheel chairs donated to them to better their lives and become better people in the society.
Also speaking at the event Dr. Elizabeth Fadahunsi, of the National Hospital, Abuja, who spoke on “Post Polio Syndrome,” noted that though the Wild Polio Type has been eradicated since 2020, but the complications still remains and one of them is the Post Polio Syndrome, which she said manifests as weakness, especially with people who had the non paralytic type who were treated and recovered, also other individuals that had the paralytic type at a point they stop feeling the pains, the weaknesses, just that the paralysis is there, but over time 15 to 45 years later they start manifesting the post polio syndrome, that is, increasing pain, worsening of the weakness and nobody can pinpoint the exact cause, although there are 3 theories, but the most widely accepted theory, is that of the neuro fatigue theory, which says the neurones that supply some of the muscles, because of the Polio Virus, are destroyed, so other neurones in a bid to compensate for the destroyed ones, over work themselves, get tired and over grow the nutrient supply at a point they start dying and that is when you see the symptoms.
She said what they usually do is supportive treatment they try to identify whether it is post polio syndrome or something else, we want to rule out other diagnosis that may present and mimic the post polio syndrome, sometimes it may be diabetes, arthritis, sometimes it is not even related to polio then we carry out electromyography test to test the muscles of the skeletal system, to see if the polio virus attacked the neurones on the muscles cell, that is when we can say it may be that the individual is suffering from post polio syndrome.
She added that, psychotherapy is very important because it is not easy to manage the condition, especially for parents and individuals who have suffered from Polio virus, and that is why gatherings like this are important for survivors to meet, share experiences. It is also important to continue to Vaccinate our children at birth, 6 , 10 and 14 weeks after.
One of the several beneficiaries of the wheel chairs distributes by Rotary Club of Abuja Sapphire, Mary Samuel narrated her experience as a Polio survive:
She said was indoor for a long time and at school some time she falls down in school and she wondered if this is how life is. She feels pains when she moved out and she prefers to stay in doors. She prayed that some day help will come here way and she thanked the Rotary Club of Abuja Sapphire for remembering them with wheels chairs to support their mobility.
Patience Ogbolo, the founder of Women With Disability Group, an account by profession. She is also a Polio survive, she was sick and her mother, when to the hospital and was given injection and after that injection she was not walking again. They took her to several places .and it distorted her education and she was just at home. She started school at the age of 11, because a social worker came around. Polio almost took her away.
After her University education she could not get a job and she found the group Advocacy for Women with Disability, to promote women activities.
she has lived with it for more than 45 years. She commended Rotary for the sustained commitment.
