The virus that stalked children: Remembering New Zealand’s polio years

David Hill remembers his childhood friend Doug, who contracted polio a decade before the vaccine became available. As summer approached, New Zealand braced itself for a return of the virus. Nearly 1,000 people had fallen ill in the previous wave. Fifty-seven had died. There was no vaccine; no cure. Now hospitals and families waited for … Read more

The astonishing, life-saving power of immunisation

Siouxsie Wiles explains why she immunises, and the commitment you make to the community when you do.  My daughter was just a few days old when she received her first vaccination. She was born in a part of London where the BCG vaccine was routinely given to newborns to protect them from tuberculosis. Holding her … Read more