World Polio Day: ‘Vaccination is the key’ to keeping Australia polio-free (24th October 2024)

It’s been more than 50 years since Australia recorded its last case of locally acquired polio and until recently the virus had only been detected in a few countries, thanks largely to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which launched in 1988.

Poliovirus is a highly infectious disease that invades the nervous system. While it can infect people of all ages, children are most susceptible, with 50 per cent of all cases affecting children under the age of three.

While most people infected with poliovirus are asymptomatic, less than one per cent of infections result in debilitating paralysis, such that any suspected polio case requires immediate investigation.

Polio vaccination prevents paralysis and reduces the amount of virus shed in faeces.

In 2015, the polio vaccination coverage rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children at 12 and 24 months of age was lower than that for other children (89.8% versus 94.0% and 95.1% versus 95.8%) but higher at 60 months (94.9% versus 93.1%).

Here is an informative resource about “vaccination for our mob” for those that are interested…..
https://ncirs.org.au/sites/default/files/2019-12/Vaccination%20for%20our%20mob%20report
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