Nov

27

Polio

Posted by cameron

November 27, 2007 |

Polio was a feared disease when I was a boy. You might think I was raised in the third world but no, I was raised in the U.K. Eventually the shots eradicated the disease but that was a long time ago. As you can imagine I was quite surprised to read of a struggle still to eradicate Polio in several parts of the world. Despite massive amounts of money pouring into putting an end to this scourge there are still pockets of resistance in a few countries. There is no reason for this sickness to be still with us other than the folly of man. It seems that silliness creates barriers to success through misguided intransigence and denial of immunization opportunities.  There are currently just over 700 cases per year in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which is an amazingly small number. The end is so tantalizingly close that you have to wonder about those few situations where people themselves endanger their own children.

It was with pride that I read of the generosity of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as it donated $200M to the effort. These are far off places to the average American but to reach out in this manner is so American. The chance to stamp out what was once a worldwide scourge is a gift to all humanity. I applaud them.


Comments

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Speak your mind

<< Post Navigation >>

« « Winning At Any Cost | Top Ten Tips for Shopping On Line » »