Buildings Light blue for Polio
World Polio Day highlights -‘We’re Still Here’ – Survivors still impacted 60 years on
With as many as 7,000 Polio Survivors estimated to be still living with disabilities brought on by the disease, notable buildings around Ireland were lit up blue to mark World Polio Day on Monday 24th October, including Dublin City Hall, Cork City Hall, Christchurch Cathedral Dublin, Kilkenny Castle and An Táin at the Town Hall, Dundalk.
“Most people think polio is gone – and while thankfully the disease is on the verge of eradication, many people live daily with pain, fatigue and severe intolerance to cold. Some might even be unable to undertake even customary activities such as making a cup of tea – these are some of the problems caused by Post Polio Syndrome,” says Fran Brennan, CEO of the Post Polio Support Group.“Without the support and services we provide to ensure that members have their needs met in relation to polio, many people would suffer in silence and be isolated and perhaps in danger of falls without the aids and appliances that we help them obtain.”
The Post Polio Support Group wants the public, the media and the medical profession to be aware of their services as there are many survivors who will need their support in years to come, but who do not know that help and a listening ear is at the other end of a phone.