Mr. Speaker, this month marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the polio vaccine. Polio was a disease that spread across North America during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. It resulted in death for some and left tens of thousands of other individuals permanently paralyzed or with disabilities.
At its peak, polio was one of the most feared and studied diseases of the first half of the 20th century. It was not until 1955 that Dr. Jonas Salk discovered a miracle vaccine that eradicated the disease in North America.
Unfortunately, polio still lurks in other parts of the world and that is why the Ontario March of Dimes, Polio Canada and the federal government have joined the World Health Organization to address ongoing vaccine development and post-polio syndrome, which affects 125,000 Canadians today.