Andrew Leigh (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As an economics professor at the Australian National University, one of the people I admired most was Bob Gregory, one of Australia's most creative minds. As well as being a great thinker, Bob is also one of the last people in Australia to contract polio. In an interview with William Coleman he talks about what happened in 1953, when he contracted polio at age 14. Bob said:

One day in April I was training for football on a Tuesday and I began to feel stiff and I had to go home. The next day I had to leave school and go to bed. The doctor came and said to Mum, 'He's either got the flu or polio.' Polio was a very bad thing: people died or might be paralysed for life. It attacked lots of children. By Friday my leg wasn't better, so I went to hospital. I felt fine (apart from flu symptoms) and I was optimistic. In bed you don't know you can't walk. It was only after 14 days when they got me out of bed that I discovered that I could not walk. Then I spent nine months in bed. They strap you to an iron frame, your feet are in plaster casts and then your parents take you out of the frame twice a day and exercise you for half an hour. So my father, before and after a hard day's work, had to exercise me. He could move my affected foot but I could not. It remained still. Some days I would say, 'Ooh, I think I can move a toe or I think I can feel something' but I couldn't really. It must have been heartbreaking for them.

Polio vaccination in Australia started a few years after Bob contracted the disease. But given that he contracted it, he was pretty lucky; he only walks today with a leg brace. Many polio victims require walking sticks or a wheelchair to get around. The motion I move today calls for one of the most significant public health opportunities of our time—the eradication of polio. Over the past quarter century the total number of polio cases worldwide has been reduced by 99 per cent, from 350,000 in 1988 to just 1,349 cases in 2010. Most regions of the world are free of the disease thanks to major immunisation efforts. I particularly commend the efforts of successive Australian governments, working with multilateral non-government organisations, such as Rotary International and other national governments, in wiping out polio in the Pacific.

Today there are just four countries where polio remains endemic: Afghanistan, Nigeria, India and Pakistan. Three of these are Commonwealth nations. All Commonwealth countries, including Australia, have a stake in the elimination of the disease, and the opportunity to end suffering has never been greater. A study published in The Lancet in 2007 showed that the cost of eradicating polio once and for all is billions of dollars less than the cost of merely keeping infection levels where they are now. The world has seen that infectious disease can be eradicated through targeted immunisation programs. Smallpox was responsible for an estimated 300 million to 500 million deaths during the 20th century. The late Australian microbiologist Professor Frank Fenner and his team were instrumental in eradicating smallpox in its last African strongholds in the late 1970s. Professor Fenner described announcing the eradication of smallpox to the UN's World Health Assembly in 1988 as the proudest moment of his long career. By eradicating smallpox we no longer have to vaccinate young children, and as someone who myself received the smallpox vaccine as a young boy, when we were travelling to South-East Asia, I can attest that it was a pretty painful vaccination to receive.

In all of human history, only one other infectious disease has ever been completely eradicated. The UN announced the eradication of cattle disease Rinderpest in June this year. Again, we stand on the cusp of a great breakthrough. Endemic polio has been contained to the smallest geographical area in history. Polio surveillance is at an unprecedented high. In 2009 alone, more than 361 million children were immunised in 40 countries as part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Yet the initiative currently faces a funding shortfall of US$590 million for the full implementation of its 2010-12 polio eradication and strategic plan. Failure to meet the financial requirements of eradication is a failure to protect future generations from the debilitating effects of polio paralysis.

I call upon the government to support efforts to deliver a polio-free world and to advocate for the inclusion of a strong statement, urging Commonwealth countries to strengthen immunisation systems, including for polio, in the finally communique of the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. In closing, , let me just pay my thanks to Huw Pohlner, an intern in my office this week, who provided me with invaluable assistance in preparing these remarks.

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about polio, the impact that the disease has on the lives of those affected and the remarkable efforts of the Gold Coast Polio Support Group, and in particular its convenor, Lyn Glover. Polio is a devastating disease that has historically affected thousands of people worldwide. People of all ages can contract this crippling and potentially fatal disease. However, it mainly affects children under the age of five that have not received appropriate immunisation. The majority of infected people have no symptoms or very mild symptoms which can usually go undetected. These people become carriers of the disease. In contrast, there are other people who can display the common symptoms, including signs of fatigue, a fever, headaches, nausea, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. In some cases, infections can lead to irreversible paralysis and this usually occurs in the legs. The virus spreads through the central nervous system and destroys nerves responsible for activating muscles. Without the activation of these muscles, the limbs becomes quite limp. In most extreme cases, paralysis can result in quadriplegia.

There is a remarkable polio survivor living in my electorate of McPherson who contracted paralytic poliomyelitis back in 1958, on her fifth birthday. Lyn Glover was immunised when she was five years old, yet only a few days later she was diagnosed with polio and put into isolation, away from her family and friends. She was placed in a steel cot and could not walk for three years following the diagnosis. The pain and bullying she endured is still strong in her mind today. Lyn, like many others, is concerned that the people who contracted polio many years ago are now experiencing the late effects of polio. Post-polio syndrome has been emerging in sufferers at a later stage in their lives. Like Lyn, there are many other polio survivors suffering unaccustomed fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle and joint pain, loss of mobility, increased sensitivity to the cold, sleeping difficulty and the declining ability to perform basic daily activities. Many polio survivors find it hard to find the right support for these symptoms, as many GPs have limited understanding of the condition and are unable to offer much advice or treatment in this area. This has led to the need for a dedicated polio advocacy service here in Australia. As I mentioned earlier, Lyn Glover is the convener of the Gold Coast Post Polio Support Group that operates in conjunction with the Queensland Spinal Injuries Association. There are 25 members at present and these numbers have been increasing along with the community's awareness. The group meets to discuss with other like-minded individuals the issues they face on a daily basis and through this group they are able to support one another in a truly unique way. As a means to inspire other members, Lyn organises outings for the group and has organised a wellness retreat on the Sunshine Coast for April next year. Lyn was recently recognised for her outstanding contribution to the community when she received a Gold Coast City Council division 11 community service award. I congratulate Lyn for this achievement.

Polio is endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria, India and Pakistan. In these countries the condition of sewerage services and contaminated water contributes to spreading this cruel disease. It is truly heartbreaking to see young children in these poorer countries with little or no mobility or aid to assist them with their daily activities. It is very confronting to see images of these children with crooked limbs and contorted bodies suffering. It is these images that have prompted worldwide attention to push for global eradication. Although we live in a country where we are not confronted with these images on a daily basis, we need to be aware that there are sufferers amongst us who have endured years of pain and isolation. Sadly, there is no cure for polio. There are some treatments aimed at reducing the severity of symptoms. However, the rarity of this condition in our country makes finding these treatments a trying task. I commend the efforts of polio support groups in assisting sufferers through these challenges.

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to congratulate the member for Fraser for bringing this really important motion to the House and the member for McPherson for her contribution to the debate. She identified the fact that here in Australia we are now experiencing a wave of people who are suffering from the late effects of polio and that GPs are not familiar with polio and its late effects. It can quite often be passed over fairly easily.

My grandfather had polio. He died when I was about 10 or 11. I remember that he had callipers on his legs, which restricted the way he could get around. I also know that the mother of the member for Ballarat suffered from polio. It really was endemic here in Australia. People of my age were the first generation in this country that did not have to fear contracting polio. I remember the vaccinations first started coming out when I was in school. We lined up, were given the jab and that was the start of the eradication of polio in this country. The member for Fraser is saying that it should not finish with what is happening here in Australia. We should work to see polio eradicated globally. We cannot be comfortable in the knowledge that polio is not prevalent in our society here in Australia until it has been eradicated globally.

It is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. Many people lost their lives or had their lives changed irreparably because they contracted polio. It is highly infectious and is caused by a virus. Polio is one of a limited number of diseases that only affect humans. A safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine exists that will lead to eradication. Immunity is lifelong and the virus can only survive for a very short period of time. Studies of the cost-effectiveness of polio eradication have demonstrated that it is feasible to work to control and eradicate it because it is much more cost effective to make sure that polio no longer is a disease that can affect anyone throughout the world. Given the current rates of routine immunisation and the relative weakness of the health systems in many parts of the world's countries like those identified in the motion by the member for Fraser—Afghanistan, Nigeria, India and Pakistan—and given that their health systems are not as robust as our health system, it makes it all the more important for us as a nation to support those countries. The global project, the end of polio campaign, was launched on 25 July. It is a 100-day campaign. It is timed to coincide with the lead-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth between 28 and 30 October. It is a campaign that all Australians should get behind because the eradication of this debilitating disease, polio, is imperative not only for Australia but globally. I would also like to acknowledge the fine work that is being done by non-government organisations. Rotary International are mentioned in this particular motion by the member for Fraser. I would like to acknowledge the work that they have done in contributing to the eradication of polio.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to support this motion. Historically, polio has been the world's greatest cause of disability and still today there is no cure. The best protection is prevention. Polio is a debilitating disease which can cause paralysis within hours, paralysis which is almost always irreversible. In severe cases the disease attaches to the motor neurons of the brain stem, which causes breathing difficulty and can lead to death. In the next 40 years more than 10 million children will be paralysed if the world does not capitalise on its US$5 billion global investment in eradication.

In 1985 Rotary International, a wonderful organisation, launched PolioPlus, a program which has been described as the most ambitious undertaking in Rotary's history. Through PolioPlus Rotary has raised more than US$800 million worldwide and is currently working to raise an additional US$200 million towards a US$355 million challenge grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I acknowledge the work in my electorate of Riverina of all the Rotary clubs within District 9700, which have worked hard to raise money for this most worthwhile cause. Rotary has also led the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, in conjunction with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and the US Centers for Disease Control. Since 1985, more than two billion children have been immunized through this initiative. Two billion children have been given a great start against the possibility of contracting polio. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative objectives are to interrupt transmission of the wild polio virus as soon as possible, to achieve certification of global polio eradication and to contribute to health systems development and strengthening routine immunisation and surveillance for communicable diseases in a systematic way. With the vaccinations offered through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, more than five million people who would otherwise have been paralysed are walking today because they have been immunised. This shows the effectiveness of the immunisation and how important it is that the initiative's work continues. The PolioPlus program is recognised internationally for its use of public-private cooperation in pursuit of a humanitarian goal. I wish to extend my thanks to Rotary for their wonderful work in this area. In 2008 Dr Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, announced that polio eradication was the organisation's top priority. She stated:

As an international community, we have few opportunities to do something that is unquestionably good for every country and every child, in perpetuity. Polio eradication is one of these opportunities.

Through the WHO's ongoing work in 2009 more than 361 million children were immunised in 40 countries during 273 supplementary immunisation activities. In 2010 only four countries in the world remained polio-endemic, down from more than 125 countries in 1988. These countries are Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. This is a great achievement, but work must continue to help vaccinate children, particularly in these polio-prone countries. It is also heartening to learn that as of 12 August 2011 Kazakhstan has passed 12 months with no reported polio cases. However, it takes only one child to remain infected and children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. In 2009-10, 23 previously polio-free countries were reinfected due to imports of the virus. This is a disease we must remain constantly vigilant against, and I urge everyone who can do anything to eradicate polio to do what they can to prevent this disease from spreading and to ensure that immunisation prevents any children or adults from becoming infected in the future.

Laura Smyth (La Trobe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to be able to speak on this motion today and give my support to the campaign for a polio-free future. I also commend the efforts of the member for Fraser in bringing this matter to the attention of this place and for raising its profile, along with the efforts of so many others who I know are campaigning vigorously on such an important issue.

We know that polio mainly affects children under the age of five and that one in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis. This has profound effects on children in the developing world; it has profound effects on their families and their communities and the opportunities that are available to those children in already difficult circumstances would be made substantially more difficult. Among those paralysed, five per cent to 10 per cent may die when their breathing muscles become immobilised. The incidence of polio, despite these rather troubling features of the disease, has decreased by over 99 per cent since 1988. It has gone from an estimated 350,000 cases worldwide at that time to just over 1,600 reported cases in 2009. That reduction really is a direct result of the global effort to eradicate the disease and the vigilance of so many people who have campaigned steadfastly in relation to it. I commend successive Australian governments for their roles in that global effort.

We know that at the 41st World Health Assembly in 1988, which then consisted of delegates from around 160 member states, a resolution was adopted for the worldwide eradication of polio. It marked at that time the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which was spearheaded by the World Health Organisation, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF. As a result, in 1994 the WHO was able to declare that the 36 countries that make up the region of the Americas were polio-free. In 2000 the western Pacific region of 37 countries was also declared free from the polio virus and the European region of 51 countries received polio-free status in June 2002. In 2009 more than 361 million children were immunised against the disease.

In 2010 only four countries in the world remained polio-endemic, down from more than 125 in 1988, demonstrating the success of vigilant campaigning on such a significant health issue. Those remaining countries are Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. Interestingly, three of those countries are Commonwealth nations. We know that persistent pockets of polio transmission remain in northern India, northern Nigeria and the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are the current focus of polio eradication initiatives. In addition to this polio has re-established itself in four other countries: Angola, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, it is suspected, in Sudan. A number of other countries we know experienced outbreaks in 2010 as a result of the virus being imported into those countries. As long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. I recognise that the overall success of eradicating polio worldwide hinges on closing a substantial funding gap to finance the next steps of the global eradication initiative. I am very pleased that Australia has committed to investing an additional $140 million from 2011 to 2013 to support the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation. GAVI is an innovative public-private international fund that increases access to vaccines and immunisation against preventable diseases in some of the world's poorest countries. One of these preventable diseases is polio. I also know that the Global Poverty Project is running a grassroots campaign under the banner of 'The end of polio' and has initiated a petition in support of global polio eradication efforts. I met with them recently to discuss that.

I am very pleased to have people within my own community with an interest in this issue. Indeed, at a local community forum I held recently in my electorate volunteers from the Global Poverty Project gave a particularly pertinent presentation on how to become more active in the types of campaigns that they run on issues such as this. I am pleased to be able support their work in that way. I also know that Rotary, including Rotary groups within my own electorate, have taken a keen interest in poverty alleviation and improving the circumstances of those in developing nations, and I lend my support to their cause. (Time expired)

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Polio is historically a devastating disease, one of the most dreaded childhood illnesses in human history. Highly contagious, polio caused widespread paralysis and death in Europe and the United States of America during the 19th and 20th centuries. Affecting the central nervous system, polio can cause deformities, muscle weaknesses and flaccid paralysis. It is as debilitating as it was endemic throughout the early decades of the 1900s, causing the great race to find a vaccine.

Many of the medical initiatives that we take for granted in the Western world today were implemented out of necessity for fighting the seriousness of polio epidemics. Intensive care units had their origins in fighting polio. Before the 1950s, hospitals had little capacity for respiratory assistance for patients and the first respiratory centre opened to treat severe cases of polio, leading to the first intensive care unit opening in Copenhagen in 1953. As we all know today, intensive care units are integral parts of our hospital systems, saving countless lives every year. Further, the roots of medical philanthropy began during the polio epidemics. Grassroots fundraising was hardly heard of before these outbreaks of polio. Rehabilitation programs were introduced to help survivors and polio survivor support groups have been instrumental in advocating for disability rights. Clearly, it is a disease which has changed not only the lives of those affected and their families but also our entire Western culture.

A vaccine was developed in the 1950s and has reduced polio cases in the Western world from hundreds of thousands every year to just handfuls. Given that in 1952, 58,000 cases of polio were reported in the United States alone, this vaccine was a serious and welcome breakthrough. In 1988, this vaccine was instrumental in the global campaign to eradicate polio led by the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and Rotary International. These organisations, collaborating with governments and local communities around the world, have seen this campaign help reduce polio cases from 350,000 reported in 1988 to just 1,349 in 2010. Additionally, polio endemic countries have been reduced from 125 to just four. These figures mean that polio has been reduced by 99 per cent since 1988. It is now a disease of which young people in Western nations are almost unaware.

These changes would not have happened if Rotary International and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative had not taken up the cause. They have worked relentlessly for the past 23 years to fight polio and, as the figures previously mentioned indicate, they are getting very close to achieving their goal. Rotary International's 1.2 million volunteers took up the charge in 1985, spearheading the immunisation effort against polio before it became a coordinated campaign in 1988. They understood that this global disease would need a global effort if it was to be defeated. With over 33,000 clubs spread across 200 countries, Rotarians are well placed to engage with local governments and communities to ensure that polio eradication is at the top of everyone's agenda. Financially Rotary itself has contributed over $900 million to the polio eradication effort as well as their members volunteering their own time and resources to reach over two billion children with the oral polio vaccine. Rotary's dedication to this cause has been unwavering, with the organisation currently aiming to match the $355 million donation made by Bill and Melinda Gates towards the eradication of polio. This challenge is critical as the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has a funding gap of just over half a billion dollars. Yes, they are only half a billion dollars away from eradicating that last one per cent of polio cases—miniscule compared to the money wasted by NBN Co. on the NBN.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Very accurate though. As Rotary says, 'that final one per cent are the most difficult and expensive to prevent. Challenges include geographic isolation, worker fatigue, armed conflict, and cultural barriers,' making this job that much harder. However, as this motion highlights, we have an opportunity to ensure that polio eradication in other parts of the world is not forgotten, as has been possible for young people in Australia.

I support the call for polio eradication to be put forward on the CHOGM agenda. CHOGM brings together over 50 heads of government, including leaders from three of the four remaining countries which continue to suffer from polio. With Rotary's efforts raising over $8 billion in commitments from governments towards polio eradication since 1995 alone, CHOGM provides a perfect opportunity to find that last $500 million to save that last one per cent. As Rotary International puts it so well:

As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, all children—wherever they live—remain at risk.

Kirsten Livermore (Capricornia, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made and order of the day at the next sitting.