EspañolThe Polio Chair of the University of Burgos constitutes an academic platform that aims to coordinate, unify, channel and centralize all efforts and initiatives that emerge to address, at the healthcare, social and academic levels, the needs of polio survivors and post-polio syndrome in Spain and even at an international level. The Chair serves as a reference and forum for knowledge on pathologies associated with the sequelae of polio and post-polio syndrome. Likewise, the Chair endeavours to become a reference for Rotary, which has consistently fought for the eradication of polio globally and can now also champion support for polio survivors and post-polio syndrome.
Individuals affected by Poliomyelitis and Post-Polio Syndrome constitute a neglected group to whom Spanish society owes a debt. Confronting age-related comorbidities, they experience a high degree of disability, as corroborated by scientists in other countries. The development of epidemiological, clinical, and social research studies is an obligation that the Spanish scientific community bears towards these individuals to enhance their visibility. The battle against Poliomyelitis will not be won until the global community ensures that the needs of people living with the disabling consequences of Poliomyelitis are adequately addressed.
Rationale of the Polio Chair
On November 24, 2022, the Specific Collaboration Agreement was signed between the Rotary Club of Burgos and the University of Burgos to facilitate the studies on poliomyelitis in the 21st century; and develop the Memorandum for the establishment of a chair dedicated to the study of individuals affected by Poliomyelitis and Post-Polio Syndrome. This agreement came to fruition at the University Council of Burgos on December 14, 2022.
Rotary International is among the founding members of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), having devoted over 35 years to combating the disease through vaccination campaigns, collaborations, and advanced research on the disease.
The recent Law 20/2022 of October 19, on Democratic Memory (BOE 20-10-2022), in its eleventh additional provision, asserts that "In recognition of the suffering experienced by individuals affected by the poliovirus during the pandemic that ravaged Spain from the 1950s onwards, the Government shall promote research and studies that clarify the truth about the spread of the epidemic during the Franco dictatorship, as well as the health and social measures in favour of those impacted by polio, late effects of polio, and post-polio, enabling an enhanced quality of life, with the participation of representative entities of polio survivors." Although the precise implementation of this commitment remains uncertain, the law already mandates the promotion of health and social measures for those affected by the disease.
This legal obligation holds significant relevance. Firstly, it addresses the needs of those affected who currently lack even the most basic social protection. Secondly, adherence to the aforementioned legal provision should result in an increased funding for research on the disease and its aftermath. For these reasons, we believe that the creation of the Chair at this very moment presents a remarkable opportunity and will improve visibility for those suffering frompolio and post-polio syndrome, to gain a comprehensive understanding of their present clinical and healthcare circumstances, and to bolster the University of Burgos’s standing in the biomedical field.