Finishing my father's work
Summertime in the 1950s came as a mixed blessing for children in the United States. Although the long sun drenched days brought plenty of time to play and hang out with friends, they were also a time of widespread panic and fear among the parents.
In mid-20th century America, summer was known as “polio season”.
Polio was at epidemic proportions, spreading quickly and causing mass public fear. Local authorities closed the schools and public pools, and my friends would often be kept home because their parents wanted to protect against this highly infectious disease known to paralyse and, in some cases, kill otherwise healthy individuals.
In 1952, when I was just two, a record 58,000 cases were reported; over one third were paralytic. Local hospital wards began to fill with iron lungs and crutches, to support children affected by the disease.
The early years of my life were important breakthrough years for my father, Albert Sabin, and his research into the oral poliovirus vaccine. At 7 my sister and I became vaccine guinea pigs, along with many neighbourhood friends. At the same time massive trials were conducted in Russia, Japan and parts of Europe. It was harder to gain approval for US testing as the Salk killed virus vaccine had been introduced in 1955 resulting in a significant decrease in cases of paralytic polio. Finally on April 24, 1960 the oral vaccination my father developed was being rolled out across the country and the slogan ‘Sabin Oral Sunday’ was plastered across the city. People wore SOS badges, and SOS signs were put up on buses and billboards, as Newspapers promoted vaccination days and children were brought in hordes to receive their ‘sugar cube vaccine’. By then one of the neighbourhood girls had already been paralyzed and returned to school with crutches.
By the mid-1960s worldwide use of my father’s vaccine had prevented an estimated 5 million cases of paralytic polio, and about 500,000 deaths worldwide. To ensure his work would serve as many people as possible, in 1972, he donated his virus ‘seed strains’ to the World Health Organisation – to ensure the vaccination’s basic ingredient would be available to all, and cheaper for governments and the UN to buy.
In the decades since this donation, global collaboration has helped deliver incredible numbers of vaccinations across the developed and developing world. Since 1988 it is estimated that over 10 billion doses of my father’s vaccine have been administered by organisations like Rotary International; and global immunisation programs over the past 30 years have helped achieve a remarkable 99% reduction in cases worldwide.
Now only four countries remain endemic: Nigeria, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. Last year India and Nigeria cut their cases by 95% each, and there were just 1,349 cases of polio diagnosed worldwide.
But despite this incredible progress in my lifetime, the potential to realise my father’s vision of eradicating this disease is currently at risk. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the public-private partnership leading eradication efforts, faces a significant funding gap for its 2011-2012 programs.
I am immensely proud of my father’s contribution to polio eradication efforts, and the global collaboration that has brought eradication of this disease within reach. Please join me in ensuring that this work does not go to waste - join The End of Polio campaign to show your support for the eradication of a disease that continues to needlessly threaten the livelihoods of thousands of vulnerable children.
- Debbe Sabin
