At the age of three, Bonaventure Hategekimana was diagnosed with polio, a disease that has had him incapacitated for 55 years now. “I started experiencing high fever and went to a hospital. I was admitted, but towards recovery, I became paralysed from the waist down, and to this day, my legs are not functional. It turned out to be polio,” he notes. “Also, in 1963 when I was infected, we didn’t have a vaccine,” says the 55-year old laboratory technician who uses crutches for support. He recalls with sadness how his childhood was affected because of the disease. “It robbed me of my childhood. I couldn’t play, stand or walk yet I was at a stage to do so. I had to stand with the support of an object,” he says. Claire Mukanganirizi was diagnosed with polio when she was one and a half years old. She says she is happy about the steps and progress made in eradicating polio. “Rwanda has put a lot of effort in making vaccines readily available. I urge parents to immunise their children in a timely manner,” she says. She adds that when given an appointment by the hospital, endeavour to respect it because these vaccines protect children from such diseases. Vaccination for new-born babies is the only way to protect from polio and other diseases. According to a study by Handicap International, in the last 20 years, out of 30,000 people who were found to be disabled, 6,000 of them had been diagnosed with polio and account for 20 per cent of people with disabilities. Dr Josee Nyamusore, the division manager of Epidemic Surveillance and Response with Rwanda Biomedical Centre, says that the last person to be diagnosed with polio was diagnosed 27 years ago. Even so, he says, prevention measures should still be in place because polio still affects the world. “As long as polio is still evident elsewhere across the world, we should not relax and be complacent as Rwanda, because it might cost us a greater price. That is why we follow up every day with health workers in various communities,” he says. “Health workers are regularly examining children with signs of disabilities to rule out any possibilities of polio.” What is polio? Polio is a viral infection that can cause paralysis and death in its most severe forms. Dr Nyamusore adds that vaccinations, or boosters, are highly recommended for anyone who is not vaccinated or is unsure if they are. “The relevance is due to the fact that there is no cure for polio once a person develops the virus, treatments are focused on increasing comfort, managing symptoms, and preventing complications, but not for cure,” Nyamusore explains. The virus usually ‘enters the environment’ in the faeces of someone who is infected. In areas with poor sanitation, the virus easily spreads from faeces into the water supply, or, by touch, into food, according to Medical News Today. Health workers say that people with the disease tend to be some of the most vulnerable members of the population. Medical practitioners warn that anyone who has not been immunised against polio is especially susceptible to contracting the infection. Vaccines are the main way to prevent polio. Vaccination is provided to a child two months after birth till the age of four to six years. However, other methods of limiting the spread of this potentially fatal disease may include avoiding contact with infected people, checking with a medical professional that your vaccinations are current, and washing hands frequently.
