Former Member of Parliament and trade unionist, Andrew Madella was diagnosed with polio as a child. As a result, he struggles to walk.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Poliomyelitis, often known as polio, is a highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects children under the age of five.

The virus spreads mostly by the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, through a common carrier, such as contaminated water or food, and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can infiltrate the nervous system and cause paralysis.

The Health Department says the last case of polio in South Africa occurred in 1989 and the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) African Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) certified South Africa as a polio-free country in 2019.

According to the WHO, cases were confirmed in Southern Africa this year. Laboratory analysis linked the strains detected in Malawi and Mozambique to a strain circulating in Pakistan’s Sindh Province in 2019.

Polio is still endemic in Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan and has been eradicated from the rest of the world.

Madella shares his journey of disability, personal achievements, aspirations and challenges with SABC Digital News Producer Lebo Tshangela in this bi-weekly feature, Thrive.

He says, “Opportunities that exist must be equalised, meaning the barriers that exist that prevent me and you from competing for the same thing have to be eradicated.”

Former Member of Parliament and trade unionist, Andrew Madella was diagnosed with polio as a child. As a result, he struggles to walk.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Poliomyelitis, often known as polio, is a highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects children under the age of five.
The virus spreads mostly by the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, through a common carrier, such as contaminated water or food, and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can infiltrate the nervous system and cause paralysis.
The Health Department says the last case of polio in South Africa occurred in 1989 and the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) African Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) certified South Africa as a polio-free country in 2019.
According to the WHO, cases were confirmed in Southern Africa this year. Laboratory analysis linked the strains detected in Malawi and Mozambique to a strain circulating in Pakistan’s Sindh Province in 2019.
Polio is still endemic in Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan and has been eradicated from the rest of the world.
Madella shares his journey of disability, personal achievements, aspirations and challenges with SABC Digital News Producer Lebo Tshangela in this bi-weekly feature, Thrive.
He says, “Opportunities that exist must be equalised, meaning the barriers that exist that prevent me and you from competing for the same thing have to be eradicated.”

Selected news and current affairs clips from SABC radio and digital journalists, used on the SABC News website (www.sabcnews.com).

Selected news and current affairs clips from SABC radio and digital journalists, used on the SABC News website (www.

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