Polio sufferers speak out
MY mother told me I was two years old when I got polio. I developed fever and she took me to a health centre where they gave me an injection.
Harriet Zansanze, 29
MY mother told me I was two years old when I got polio. I developed fever and she took me to a health centre where they gave me an injection.
Within a few days, my left leg became longer than the other and started shrinking. There is a lot of stigma and segregation against persons with disabilities.
I experienced it at my former place of work. At school students used to call me akalema. The biggest challenge is getting walking aids like callipers.
Moses Bogere, 26
He got polio when he was four years old. “I cannot walk long distances because my legs hurt. I advise parents to immunise their children in time. We should be treated as people with the same abilities as those who were not affected by polio.
Apollo Mukasa, 29
“We suffer isolation even in our families: You are seen as an outcast. It is a painful experience for children who are disabled by polio. They are shunned by their parents
Meldah Tumukunde, 31
She walks with the aid of one hand. She is the executive director of Uganda National Action on Physical Disability.
“My mother told me I developed high temperature which they thought was malaria.
She took me to a health centre and I was given an injection. The following day she noticed that I could not move my legs. She had no I idea I had polio. My mother was a housewife and did not have enough money to take me to hospital.
Her in-laws accused her of sleeping around and bringing witchcraft in the family. Being disabled is a big challenge. At Mary Hill, the school authorities almost denied me a chance because of my disability.
We should educate parents about the polio virus and what should be done to prevent it.
Compiled by Arthur Baguma
MY mother told me I was two years old when I got polio. I developed fever and she took me to a health centre where they gave me an injection.
Within a few days, my left leg became longer than the other and started shrinking. There is a lot of stigma and segregation against persons with disabilities.
I experienced it at my former place of work. At school students used to call me akalema. The biggest challenge is getting walking aids like callipers.
Moses Bogere, 26
He got polio when he was four years old. “I cannot walk long distances because my legs hurt. I advise parents to immunise their children in time. We should be treated as people with the same abilities as those who were not affected by polio.
Apollo Mukasa, 29
“We suffer isolation even in our families: You are seen as an outcast. It is a painful experience for children who are disabled by polio. They are shunned by their parents
Meldah Tumukunde, 31
She walks with the aid of one hand. She is the executive director of Uganda National Action on Physical Disability.
“My mother told me I developed high temperature which they thought was malaria.
She took me to a health centre and I was given an injection. The following day she noticed that I could not move my legs. She had no I idea I had polio. My mother was a housewife and did not have enough money to take me to hospital.
Her in-laws accused her of sleeping around and bringing witchcraft in the family. Being disabled is a big challenge. At Mary Hill, the school authorities almost denied me a chance because of my disability.
We should educate parents about the polio virus and what should be done to prevent it.
Compiled by Arthur Baguma