Polio Canada - Events - Canada's National Polio Survivors Network

The leaders of the global health community came together on March 20 to launch a new program that will create awareness of a forgotten disease.

Representatives from the World Health Organization, Rotary International, Aventis Pasteur - the sponsors of the event - and UNICEF were all on hand at the End of Polio photo exhibition to unveil Polio Canada – a national program that will educate and inform Canadians and health care professionals across the country about polio and its late effects called post-polio syndrome (PPS).

“More than 50 years ago the very mention of the word “polio” struck fear in the hearts of Canadians,” said Kim Dowds, program manager of Polio Canada. “The disease immediately conjured up images of paralysis and iron lungs. Today, however, it is mistakenly considered part of our history thanks to the development of the Salk and Sabin vaccines. But now many polio survivors are experiencing new health problems directly related to the polio they contracted as children.”

Event Photos
Photos courtesy of Glenn Brown

1. The End of Polio Exhibition, seen here.... 2. Forty of Sebastião Salgado’s photos.... 3. Kim Shannon and her daughter Kaitlin.... 4. More than 100 guests filled The Linkway.... 5. Andria Spindel, CEO of Ontario March of Dimes.... 6. Doctor Bruce Aylward, left, attended the launch.... 7. Left to Right, the night’s keynote speakers....

1. The End of Polio Exhibition, seen here, captured the global eradication and rehabilitation efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan 2. Forty of Sebastião Salgado’s photos were on display, and will remain on display until March 28 3. Kim Shannon and her daughter Kaitlin were in attendance for the Polio Canada launch. Andria Spindel, President and CEO of Ontario March of Dimes, dedicated the evening to the late Jeannette Shannon, Kim’s mother and a leader in raising awareness about post-polio syndrome in Canada. 4. More than 100 guests filled The Linkway for the Polio Canada launch. 5. Andria Spindel, President and CEO of Ontario March of Dimes, thanked all the people who made the night’s event possible, including Aventis Pasteur, WHO, Rotary International, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF. 6. Doctor Bruce Aylward, left, attended the launch with other distinguished guests, including Mark Golding, centre, Chair Presidents’ Advisory Council Ontario March of Dimes and Hon., David Peterson, former Premier of Ontario. 7. Left to Right, the night’s keynote speakers: Wilfrid Wilkinson (Rotary Foundation Trustee), Dr. Bruce Aylward (Co-ordinator of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, WHO), Andria Spindel (President and CEO of Ontario March of Dimes), Mark Golding ( Chair Presidents’ Advisory Council,Ontario March of Dimes) and Mark Lievonen ( President of Aventis Pasteur Limited).

Today, it is estimated that 50 to 70 per cent of paralytic polio survivors may experience the disabling effects of PPS 25 to 45 years after their initial recovery from polio. However, many will go undiagnosed because few clinicians today have seen a case of polio and many are still unaware of the symptomology of PPS, which includes pain, weakness, fatigue, breathing and swallowing problems as well as muscle atrophy.

“Polio Canada’s goal is to increase awareness of polio and post-polio syndrome across the country,” said Dowds. “Our National Polio Survivors Network will put people in touch with the support they need.”

Polio Canada was officially launched at the “The End of Polio: A Global Effort to End a Disease” photography exhibition, which features the work of renowned Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, a UNICEF Special Representative. On display until March 28 will be 40 black and white photos that capture the polio eradication and rehabilitation efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan.

At the exclusive event gala several key speakers talked about Polio Canada, polio and its effects on people here and in the developing world. The guest speakers included Mark Golding (Chair Presidents’ Advisory Council,Ontario March of Dimes), Mark Lievonen (President of Aventis Pasteur Limited), Dr. Bruce Aylward (Co-ordinator of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, WHO), Wilfrid Wilkinson (Rotary Foundation Trustee) and Andria Spindel (President and CEO of Ontario March of Dimes).

“These photos are an inspiration to us all, allowing us to reflect upon what we have accomplished together and what remains to be done,” said Lievonen, to the more than 100 guests that were in attendance. “While in Canada we are dealing with the latent effect of polio, we cannot forget that the struggle against polio in developing countries carries on, as witnessed by Salgado’s work.”

Aventis Pasteur, a global partner in the eradication effort to end polio, and a supporter of Polio Canada sponsored the exhibit. Aventis Pasteur was the first company to manufacture and distribute the polio vaccine in Canada nearly 50 years ago through its Connaught Laboratories. Since then, its vaccines have been protecting the world’s population against polio and many other preventable diseases. Today, Aventis Pasteur is still committed to the global eradication effort to end polio. In fact, by 2005, the company will have donated approximately 120 million doses of oral polio vaccine in support of the world polio eradication effort.

The exhibit was also made possible by the lead partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization: WHO, Rotary International, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF.