https://ourworldindata.org/global-fight-polio
"Polio is an infectious disease that affects children in particularly terrible
ways. Once the poliovirus invades the nervous system, it can cause irreversible
paralysis in a matter of hours. As a consequence, many affected children
suffered from permanent disability of the muscles in their legs. In the worst
cases, it affects the muscles a child uses to breathe, which means that the
child suffocates and dies.
To prevent them from dying of suffocation, polio victims were once placed into
large mechanical breathing apparatuses called iron lungs. The iron lung was
both a lifeline and a life sentence for those permanently paralyzed by the
virus, as they would have to remain inside the metal box for years.
Children are still suffering from polio today, but the disease is much rarer
than it once was. In this short article, I want to show how far the world has
come in our battle against polio, and I want to show that we today have the
opportunity to end polio once and for all. This — the global eradication of
polio — would surely rank among humanity’s greatest achievements."
Via
What Could Go Right? S5 E19:
https://theprogressnetwork.org/lab-grown-diamonds/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
