The good news is that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa was declared free of poliomyelitis on August 25, 2020, a significant enough achievement at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wild polio had ravaged the African continent for years with Nigeria often cited as one of its few remaining bastions where religious figureheads mounted a campaign against the use of the oral polio vaccine. Coupled with the intermittent armed conflicts across the African region that prevented access of health care workers, and, in some cases, led to their deaths, eliminating poliomyelitis was a daunting challenge.
For blacks who emigrated from Africa to the US, the scourge of the poliovirus is but a dim reminder of the past. However, for a few others stricken with the paralyzing disease before they arrived on US soil and granted immigrant status, they must deal with the harsh reality that poliomyelitis is more than just a ghost in the mirror. It is a staple of everyday life. When one is afflicted with a disability whether it be a paralyzed or immobilized lower limb that usually occurs when one has had polio, life is never ordinary. It requires strength of character and a good deal of determination to survive constant doses of criticism and discrimination for being different.
One can assuage the anxiety of blacks disabled due to polio by showing compassion. Welcoming them and pointing out to them the benefits due to a person with disability can go a long way.
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