Jonas Salk: The Man Who Beat Polio - Interesting Engineering

Jonas Salk: The Man Who Beat Polio - Interesting Engineering
Mayor: It would be irresponsible to place mural on wall with uncertain future - Hickory Daily Record
WHO sees high risk as polio breaks out in Central African Republic - Thomson Reuters Foundation

Posted: 23 Jun 2019 12:41 AM PDT

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Jonas Salk: The Man Who Beat Polio Interesting Engineering

Thanks the Jonas Salk, millions, if not billions of children today go safely go about their lives without the fear of being struck down by Polio.

Mayor: It would be irresponsible to place mural on wall with uncertain future - Hickory Daily Record

Posted: 23 Jun 2019 02:00 AM PDT

There have been several front page articles and other editorials recently concerning the Miracle of Hickory, specifically related to deciding on a location for a proposed mural depicting the memory of a polio outbreak in 1944.

The Miracle of Hickory was undisputedly a miraculous immediate response to a medical crisis that undoubtedly saved lives and prevented further tragedy. This year will mark the 75th anniversary of the construction of an emergency hospital which was erected in 54 hours to treat patients of the polio epidemic. There are many positive stories related to this miracle and much rich history surrounding the intense community response to this medical emergency.

The actual location of the facility built in 1944 is on 12th Street Drive NW and perhaps better known today as the current location of the Hickory Music Factory. It seems wonderful to me that the original structure is still intact and that it serves a diverse population of children and adults who are excited to learn and have fun playing musical instruments.

Much of the discussion related to the celebration of this historical event in our city has been focused on the location of a proposed mural and to a lesser degree the actual artwork. Concerning the artwork that has been revealed I have had people contact me who like it and others who don't, which I think is indicative of all art. We can all agree, perhaps as has been famously quoted that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" meaning that beauty or in this case art cannot be judged objectively, for what one person finds beautiful or admirable may not appeal to another. Unless it is offensive or derogatory, I am not inclined to decide for our general public and visitors what is appealing what may not be appealing, that choice is better made by the people and not government officials.

Concerning the location of the mural only as it relates to city structures is however a matter on which myself and other council members must decide. Keep in mind that this mural, any future murals or artwork can be placed anywhere with the permission of the property owner. In several photos the artist rendering of the Miracle of Hickory has been depicted on a wall owned by the City of Hickory which is also the business known as The Wine Shop. It was brought to my attention prior to any conversation pertaining to the mural from previous tenants of The Wine Shop that this wall has water and structure issues. Based upon that knowledge the future of this wall is questionable and undecided at this time. I believe that it would be irresponsible for council to allow monies from private donations to be spent on a project that has such uncertainty for the future.

The vote taken by the Hickory City Council is an option to allow the mural to be placed on the wall at the original site of the hospital which was built in 1944 and is now the home of the Hickory Music Factory. There is no obligation for the mural to be placed at the original site based upon that vote, it is merely an option that has been made available. It should be noted also that the Public Art Commission unanimously voted to recommend to the Hickory City Council as an option to allow the mural at the original site of the hospital.

It is the intention of our bond projects in conjunction with City Walk, River Walk and Book Walk to create destinations which will attract businesses and grow our economy and population. The site of the original hospital is surrounded by many current and future such destinations and has great potential to be a highlighted historical attraction for many years to come.

The Miracle of Hickory was in fact a "miracle" and I am excited to be part of the team to champion telling this great story of how our community has worked together in the past and continues to work together today no matter the cause.

Hank Guess is mayor of the city of Hickory.

WHO sees high risk as polio breaks out in Central African Republic - Thomson Reuters Foundation

Posted: 28 May 2019 12:00 AM PDT

The cases, reported to WHO on May 24, were caused by 'vaccine-derived' polio rather than the wild type of the virus that still circulates in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

GENEVA, May 28 (Reuters) - Two cases of polio have been reported in the Central African Republic, the World Health Organization said in a report on Tuesday, the latest setback for global efforts to eradicate the crippling disease.

The cases, reported to WHO on May 24, were caused by "vaccine-derived" polio rather than the wild type of the virus that still circulates in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"There is a high risk of transmission of the virus as both cases were among internally displaced persons (in an area) with an estimated population of eight thousand," the report said.

"The two cases had no previous history of vaccination for polio. Vaccination coverage in the affected district is 50% with insecurity being one of the main obstacles to access."

Latest figures from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative show there have been 10 vaccine-derived polio cases this year: eight in Nigeria, one in Somalia and one in Democratic Republic of Congo. Pakistan and Afghanistan have reported 24 cases of the wild type.

Polio is a virus that spreads in areas with poor sanitation. It attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours of infection. Children under five are the most vulnerable, but polio can be prevented with vaccination.

Vaccine-derived cases tend to occur in places with low vaccine coverage and poor sanitation as people who have been vaccinated excrete the virus, putting those who have not been vaccinated at risk of catching it.

The risk of vaccine-derived polio cases can be avoided by switching from using live oral polio vaccines (OPV) - which are highly effective, cheap and easy to deliver but contain live virus - to "inactivated" vaccines (IPV), which are not effective for fighting the wild type but contain no live virus.

The use of OPV is being scaled down in a phased manner as countries eliminate circulating wild polio virus strains.

(Reporting by Tom Miles, editing by Ed Osmond)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.