A trip down memory lane usually recalls happy events from the past but for those of us who were born before 1950 Keith Mankin's presentation "Polio- Then and Now" reminded us of the scourge of polio which kept us away from summer activities before the development of vaccines.
Keith is a retired pediatric orthopaedic surgeon whose father Henry was involved in the treatment of polio victims.
A series of slides starting with an Egyptian tomb painting depicted how long polio has ravaged humanity. Although there are multiple strains of the virus the most deadly- bulbar polio is the most virulent, killing most victims except for those who became confined in iron lungs for life. Those who led to the treatment and eradication of polio include Sister Kenny, FDR who established the March of Dimes for research and treatment, John Enders who isolated the polio virus, and Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin who developed vaccines to protect against the disease.
Of course we Rotarians are well aware of the campaign to defeat polio worldwide. In 1988 there were 350,000 cases reported. With the assistance of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the W.H.O. only remote regions in Pakistan and Afganistan have reported cases that must be addressed to reach our goal.
Watch the FULL PROGRAM CLICK HERE