World Polio Day 2024: Significance, History & Celebration

World Polio Day is observed every year on October 24 to draw global attention of people towards complete eradication of this disease. The day also honors the tireless efforts of those working day and night to make sure that vaccination reaches to every child in the world.

Jonas Salk, an American virologist and medical researcher who developed one of the first successful polio vaccines was born on October 28 and four days before the event was selected to be observed as World Polio Day.

World Polio Day Date

Below mentioned are the upcoming dates for World Polio Day for the next 4 years.

World Polio Day Overview

What is Polio?

Poliomyelitis, commonly known as polio, is a severe disease caused by the poliovirus that can cause disabling or paralysis in those infected. It infects the spinal cord of a person thus restricting movement of body parts. Most people infected with poliovirus do not show any visible symptoms or might have mild symptoms but a smaller proportion of people can develop some serious symptoms that affect the brain and spinal cord.

Once a person gets infected, there is no treatment available for polio and the only cure for polio is prevention of this disease. Giving polio drops or vaccines to the children before they reach five years of age can help in preventing the disease and in the long run will play an important role in eradication of the disease.

Check special days in October

World Polio Day Significance

Polio is a life-threatening disease and the affects that it leaves behind are everlasting. Treatment can help, but no cure is available yet. Those affected with this disease can lose their walking abilities for life and in severe cases, it might prevent mobility at all. However, with strict measures and vaccinations from time to time, the virus can be killed completely.

World Polio Day offers a perfect occasion to adopt and practice such stringent measures so that polio does not affect any more children of our future generations. The day also provides an opportunity to highlight global efforts toward a polio-free world and honor the tireless contributions of those who are in the fight to eradicate polio from every corner of the globe.

History of Polio & Its Vaccination

Polio is a highly infectious disease that attacks the nervous system and can lead to spinal and respiratory paralysis and in some cases death. The disease normally affects the young children and is believed to have existed since prehistoric times.

The first known clinical description of polio was in 1789 when British doctor Michael Underwood noticed the condition but the disease was formally recognized in 1840 by German physician Jakob Heine. In 1949, John Enders, Thomas Weller and Frederick Robbins successfully cultivated poliovirus in human tissue at Boston Children’s Hospital. Four years after the cultivation of virus, US physician Jonas Salk created first successful vaccine for poliovirus and created a major breakthrough in the history of polio treatment.

To honor Jonas Salk for his medial discovery and promote the awareness of this disease among people, the celebration of World Polio Day began to be held every year on 24 October.

World Polio Day Celebration

World Polio Day is being celebrated by various governments, organizations and nations all around the world. A meeting to discuss the work of World Health Organization and Rotary International in promotion of vaccine and eradication of the disease will be held and streamed live on official website of WHO. The meeting will be based on the theme ‘ A healthier future for mothers and children’ and will cover every aspect of polio and its affect on children and their mothers.

The conference may be joined by experts in polio, vaccines, and maternal and child health who will share their insights with the world. Anyone can join this virtual meeting and learn more about polio, its prevention and treatment. If you know any charity working for the betterment of polio-infected children who can volunteer for the day to learn more on this topic and help those in need of it.

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