It has been 20 years since Australia was declared free of polio, thanks in no small part to the introduction of vaccines in the 1960s — but doctors say it is still important to get the jab.
The vaccine is included in the Australian childhood immunisation schedule.
According to paediatric infectious diseases specialist Phil Britton, from the Children's Hospital at Westmead, 95 per cent of Australian children get vaccinated.
"Australia got rid of polio through vaccination and needs to maintain this because there is still polio in the world," Dr Britton said.
"We think part of our global responsibility to the children of the world is to continue to maintain Australia's polio-free status because we are aiming for eradication of this infection."
Living with polio
Wagga Wagga resident Doug Wait was eight months old when he contracted the disease.
"I can't move any of my joints from my knee down, but I've never had the movement in the joints from my knee down anyway — you don't miss what you don't know," he said.
"When I was about 11 years old I went into hospital for about two months and I had a big operation called a triple arthrodesis, where they sort of cut the muscles and fuse your ankles to keep them at the right angle.
"I had to repeat a year of primary school, I had the callipers, the full bit.
"My Dad knew some boot makers and they made me a little pair of football boots, everything had to be specially made."
Mr Wait said despite the challenges he had never let the impact of his polio stop him from doing what he enjoyed.
"Even when I was in my teens I went to the school counsellor and said I wanted to work in the motor trade," Mr Wait said.
He was told he would be better off working in a bank, where he could just stand behind a counter.
"I wasn't having that," he said.
"I got an apprenticeship with the NRMA as a panel beater from there a few other panel shops and then eventually TAFE teaching — yeah, I've had a good life.
"We still go away in the caravan and I've just bought myself a little mobility scooter for getting around.
"I think there's a lot worse off than I."
