polioperspectives Polio
polioperspectives Polio past & present PART 2 In the Autumn 2017 edition of Inform the first half of 'Polio past and present' was published. In this edition we cover the 'later years' of polio history, from 1937 to the present day. Polio in Australia and Victoria 1933–2016 1937: 1,369 cases in Victoria. Edward Thomas Both developed Australia’s first version of the Iron Lung. 1938: Australia recorded its highest incidence of paralytic polio (39.1 per 100,000 population). 1950s: The early 1950s saw Victorian scientist Dr. Percival Bazeley at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States working with Jonas Salk and his team towards the production of a Poliomyelitis vaccine. North America’s first mass vaccination program was a public health tragedy however, with an improperly inactiviated vaccine that resulted in 40,000 cases of polio, leaving 200 children with varying degrees of paralysis and 10 dead. With the success of the Salk vaccine Dr Bazeley returned to Australia to find himself given the task of pioneering the mass production at Commonwealth Serum Laboratory (CSL) of an important new weapon against disease. 1954: 569 notifications of polio recorded with 37 associated deaths. 1956: vaccine initially available in Victoria as CSL based in Melbourne. 1961–62: Australia’s last polio epidemic. 1966: Sabin oral polio vaccine (OPV) introduced in Australia. 1970s: Many polio survivors began reporting new problems. 1972: Australia’s last case of wild poliovirus. 22 Independence Australia
polioperspectives 1987: Polio Network Victoria founded by Edith Hall, acutely aware nothing was being done in Australia for polio survivors. She held a public meeting at Camberwell and to her surprise 125 people turned up. Beth Brodribb who had been working with ParaQuad’s sheltered workship was asked to help. Within a year 400 survivors were contacted and networks of polio survivors were established to discuss needs and share information. 1988: Australia’s Sir Clem Renouf, as President of Rotary International in 1978 and 1979, led the international campaign to vaccinate every child against polio. This resulted in a partnership between the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Rotary International, and launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. 1990: Victoria’s Department of Community Services approved funding to produce the Victorian Polio Network’s first newsletter. Demand from interstate groups saw a seminar held attended by 100 people over concern at the lack of appreciation of polio survivors and needs by medical and paramedical professions. 1991: Post polio clinic run at Bethesda Hospital by Dr Peter Colville, also a polio survivor. A federation of state networks was formed called Polio Australasia, providing resources for new interstate groups. 1996: PNV’s first Polio Day, held at Ballarat. 1998: Polio Services Victoria (PSV) was established by the Victorian Government at St Vincents Hospital to provide ongoing expertise and support for people who had polio. PSV currently consists of a core allied health team including a GP, physiotherapist, orthotist, occupational therapist. Referrals are provided for patients locally. 2007: Health authorities launched a nationwide polio alert and spent the next two weeks tracking down passengers on the same flight as a man infected with polio. The 22-year-old Pakistani man was diagnosed with the first case reported in Australia in 21 years, after returning from a holiday in Pakistan. He was treated in isolation at Box Hill hospital with later support from local polio survivors. 2008: Polio Australia established at a national conference for State Polio Networks. 2012: 25 years of PNV with 15 PSGs across Victoria, Polio Day celebrated with Victorian Governor in attendance. ‘Iron Wills Victorian Polio Survivors’ Stories’ launched and awarded a commendation from the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. 2016: Life Stage Matters, Australasian/Pacific Conference held in Sydney by Polio Australia, chaired by Dr Stephen de Graaff – Rehabilitation Physician, Director of Pain Services, Epworth Health, Melbourne, acknowledged polio specialist. The conference attracted ‘lived experts’ and polio survivors from USA, Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Japan, India. Inform – Spring 2017 23
