Here in the U.S., polio isn’t really a concern any more -- most of us, myself included, associate it with FDR at the very latest. Indeed, the United States hasn’t had a polio case since 1979. However, polio is a concern in Madagascar, which, after being polio-free for nine years, experienced a dozen new cases in 2015. A few days ago, on April 16, UNICEF and other health groups wrapped up a 4-day vaccination crusade after inoculating around five million children. As in the United States, Madagascar has its own set of anti-vaxxers: a small set of parents refused the vaccine as they feared it would make their children sick. This is Madagascar’s eighth round of polio vaccinations, but the WHO estimates over a quarter of Madagascar’s children are un- or under-immunized.
(We’re not gonna get polio; don’t freak out. Polio is a required vaccine for living in the United States and the CDC is preeettttty sure properly vaccinated people will be fine.)
--lark
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