Category: Articles

Why Polio immunisation is a must

Neena Bhandari speaks to SBS Hindi: “Polio still poses a threat because of the nature of global travel, any under-vaccinated area could potentially be at risk even in countries like Australia where polio has long since been eradicated…..Polio is only a flight away because there is a pool of unvaccinated people in Australia.”

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© Copyright Neena Bhandari. All rights reserved. Republication, copying or using information from postpolio.in content is expressly prohibited …

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A life battle with Poliomyelitis

By Neena Bhandari

It was a meek October morning in 1967, only a month away from my third birthday, I had worn my frilled frock and white laced shoes to go and receive the triple polio vaccine. As I sang and danced along the way, making it difficult for my maternal grandfather to keep pace, little did I know that it was the last time I would be walking by myself.

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Access to aids can make a huge difference to polio survivors

Neena Bhandari speaks to SBS Hindi

Australia was declared Polio free in 2000. Journalist Neena Bhandari, who had polio as a child says “Polio still poses a threat and is only a flight away. Most people, especially migrants who have arrived in recent years, find it very difficult to get diagnosed for PPS or Late Effects of Polio and then find the right doctor, physiotherapist, orthotists, aged care services.”

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© Copyright Neena …

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On a foot and a prayer

©Surabhi Dhandhia

By Neena Bhandari

A Cancelled flight, a lost suitcase, a stolen wallet are exigencies we may plan for while travelling, but I had never considered the possibility of an unexpected injury, until it happened during one of my annual sojourns in India. It revealed the dichotomy between the avant-garde and primitive modes of transport and healthcare facilities that exist in the country.

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India needs to focus on its polio survivors

Laxman Garasia, a polio survivor, in Ghanerao village (Rajasthan). Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

The Indian Government, Non-Governmental Organisations and the larger community must invest in rehabilitating millions of polio survivors facing new physical, social, cultural and economic challenges.

India was certified polio-free by the World Health Organisation on 27 March 2014. Polio immunisation has been a great success story of public-private health partnership, but now we need to replicate this to improving the lives of people living with polio.

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After eradication: India’s post-polio problem

By Neena Bhandari

New Delhi, 31.03.2014 (BMJ): As India celebrates three years of being polio free there is an urgent need to invest in medical care for the thousands of people who made the most of life after having had poliomyelitis but are now facing the debilitating post-polio syndrome (PPS).1 2 PPS describes the sudden onset of muscle weakness or fatigability in people with a history of acute paralytic poliomyelitis, usually occurring 15 to 40 years later.3 Many thousands of …

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Walking for the Commonwealth

Neena Bhandari carrying the 2006 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton on Elizabeth Street in Sydney. Photo credit: ©Brendan Read

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 26.03.2006 (The Hindu): On a balmy Sydney afternoon in November 2005, a phone call changed the way me and my family would henceforth celebrate January 26.

Throughout my growing up years, Indian Republic Day held a special significance. We would spend long hours practising national songs on the flute as our school band marched through the streets of Ajmer into the main city stadium. There was a sense of immense pride in witnessing the tricolour unfurl as we …

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