1
25
482
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/7750141de898584c4e82a8eebffe6942.pdf
25fa7fb00493e7dd951c2f18c58a427b
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PSN <strong>Library</strong>
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Copyright is retained by The Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network and/or original author(s). Permission is granted to print copies of individual articles for personal use provided they are printed in their entirety. Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
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A collection of articles of interest to the polio survivor community.
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Post Polio Matters Volume 11 Issue 4
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Polio Survivors Network
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Polio Survivors Network
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January 2024
2024
Edition 124
Issue 4
January
Newsletter
Post Polio Matters
Volume 11
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/70c264da77d4583a9377b4a00da93941.pdf
d99ba39de534fdd8904518be605e083f
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PSN <strong>Newsletters</strong>
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<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Volumes 1 to 6</strong> – LincPIN</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Volume 7 onwards</strong> – Post Polio Matters</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>100th Edition</strong> – a special double edition newsletter of 40 pages, also posted to university health and social care departments / medical schools</p>
</li>
</ul>
Creator
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Polio Survivors Network
Rights
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Copyright is retained by The Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network and/or original author(s). Permission is granted to print copies of individual articles for personal use provided they are printed in their entirety. Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
Text
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Text
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polio survivor experiences
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Post Polio Matters Volume 11 Issue 3
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PPM 123
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Polio Survivors Network
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Polio Survivors Network
2023
Edition 123
Issue 3
Newsletter
October
Post Polio Matters
Volume 11
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/857ad4133cfbb5b22dd9ed8bad23b707.pdf
730fa90084e3c74f1e0cd349d67db07d
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Title
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PSN <strong>Newsletters</strong>
Subject
The topic of the resource
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Volumes 1 to 6</strong> – LincPIN</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Volume 7 onwards</strong> – Post Polio Matters</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>100th Edition</strong> – a special double edition newsletter of 40 pages, also posted to university health and social care departments / medical schools</p>
</li>
</ul>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Polio Survivors Network
Rights
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Copyright is retained by The Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network and/or original author(s). Permission is granted to print copies of individual articles for personal use provided they are printed in their entirety. Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
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Post Polio Matters Volume 11 Issue 2
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Polio Survivors Network
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Polio Survivors Network
2023
Edition 122
Issue 2
July
Newsletter
Post Polio Matters
Volume 11
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/678921308704cf7d13195df87c5040eb.pdf
09a96c9c5032308a16c0ee8dfa718b22
Dublin Core
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
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News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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PSN members
Various newspapers
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Text
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Thank heavens I caught polio in the '50s.
If I had caught it today, I can't imagine the current NHS being able to cope! Today's superior graduate nurses wouldn't be able to cope with the high level of care we needed around the clock.
In the '50s, the NHS really was 'the envy of the world'. Every Friday my surgeon, J.I.P. Janes, would sweep down on his ward round, heading up a swarm of foreign medics come to observe (and pay) to learn from Stanmore National Orthopaedic Hospital. Today, the only NHS hospital where I come across overseas doctors here to learn from the NHS is the Royal Brompton Hospital.
Recently, I had a long stint in our local hospital, the 1,000-bed John Radcliffe. A dirty injection needle into my eye had made me blind. Looked after by trainee nurses from Oxford Brookes, I was interested to see how today's nurses performed. At the start, they impressed me with their competence taking my blood pressure - every four hours they would wheel in a machine and plug it in - all going very smoothly - then read off the figures produced.
Then things started to unravel, the readings suddenly went sky high and I was alarmed - the nurses hadn't a clue what this meant and weren't about to do anything to discover what these showed. Today’s nurses aren't expected to be curious, and I began to understand how the lack of curiosity enables scandals like the Lucy Letsby case, and many others, go undetected for so long.
Eventually, it was an Agency nurse who let the cat out of the bag; apparently, the Ward sister in charge of drugs had forgotten to order blood pressure tablets, and others on the ward had the same symptoms - but I was the only one who queried readings.
I remember the cheerful way the nurses at Stanmore coped with our problems, however basic. Catching another hospital bug this time I threw up all over the floor. My bell summoned a nurse, who gave a horrified scream and told me "You've dirtied the floor. I need to call a cleaner to clean it up”. Had no-one told her nurses have to deal with life's basic problems, however gross?
Doctoring today is by remote control. The nurse takes a photo of you, sends it to the doctors, and back comes their diagnosis. This was taken to the limits when one Friday Dr. Joel (it's all First names in today's NHS) actually appeared in my room, saying he had come to take some blood tests. He wasn't much good and gave up, saying he would be back on Monday.
Monday produced a cheerful Dr. Leo, who popped in to give me the good news that my blood test results were fine and was rather put out when I queried his diagnosis. Off he disappeared, never to be seen again - this was the norm in my ward; ask a nurse a question, and off she would go to some distant hidey-hole lost forever.
|One does wonder why some nurses bother to go into the profession today. When I was admitted to the ward, I was delighted to be shown into a single room (being highly contagious had its benefits). I waited for the Ward Sister to come and 'welcome' me - but no one came. After a while, it became obvious that infection control training was sadly lacking in those supposedly looking after me, so I fumbled my way down the corridor to find Sister's office.
Once there, a voice identified itself as a Sister, so I started - only to be stopped by the voice saying "but I don't talk to patients".
Sadly, it seems doctoring by remote control is going to be the norm in today's NHS. Although warned by the Ophthalmology Dept. that I was allergic to Preservatives, backed up by me when admitted (but who takes note of patients?) the dreaded Ward Sister in charge of drugs had ordered the cheaper version of the antibiotics prescribed for me. Yes, you've guessed it - full of preservatives. I wake up one morning with a face aflame and burning itching skin all over my body.
Nurse sends over a photo of some of the rash - but no doctor appears. Eventually back comes a message to say the photo showed my 'rash' was only a bruise! The Dermatology Dept. did send down some cream for me to use, which promptly got lost because Ward Sister didn't write this down in the drugs book.
So, I self-prescribed and got my brother to buy some La Roche Posay products, which did the trick. I have booked a follow-up appointment at Guys Hospital in London, via the NHS Patient Choice scheme. It will cost the NHS as I will also need hospital transport, but this might make the hospital look more carefully at its procedures. Oh for the days of the caring nurse - I was very lucky they were around when I was being treated for polio.
I am NOT having a go at the majority of today's nurses who look after me beautifully. Just moaning at the way nurse training is becoming dependent on 'remote control doctoring'.
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Thank heavens I caught polio in the 1950s by Verite Reily-Collins
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Thank heavens I caught polio in the '50s.
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Verite Reily-Collins, Polio Survivors Network
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Verite Reily-Collins, Polio Survivors Network
1950s
experience
nhs
nursing
V Reily-Collins
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/dfc0d8ccdd4d58b8581a17f8cb8ee1a4.pdf
8843b2aaaa2fbc79f9bc7c7d7e265fad
Dublin Core
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Title
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
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News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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PSN members
Various newspapers
Text
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Text
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My Experience – Sylvia
My name is Sylvia. I was born in 1948 and contracted Polio in 1950/51. I was living on the Isle of Wight and, I believe, along with my slightly older brother, one of the very first people on the Island to catch polio. I lost the use of one of my legs. After a spell in the isolation hospital, I recovered and certainly within my childhood memory was symptom free.
I went on to be a keen tennis player for over 19 years, playing daily during the Summer and several times weekly on hard courts during the Winter, until at about the age of 42 I noticed that my legs were changing. My right calf was diminishing noticeably, although was still strong enough to support me.
Eventually I could no longer reliably run in all the directions required for tennis and I gave up. I then joined a golf club and played 18 holes regularly, usually three times a week until I no longer had the stamina to walk the course and so five years ago, I gave up golf. I then started playing lawn bowls two or three times a week and short may bowls during the Winter.
Over the last few years my "weak" leg has felt less reliable and I've been using a walking stick when out and about and this year find I now must use it when playing lawn bowls. Similarly, over the last few years I have felt unsteady with sometimes a loss of balance. I cannot walk far without considerable pain, although I'm not sure whether this is because of the late effects of polio or other problems with my spine for which I take prescribed pain medication.
To sum up, everything from my strength to my eyesight, endurance and energy seem to be reduced. I have recently purchased a mobility scooter with which I can go a bit further afield - in fact have just returned from Austria where I was able to explore, amongst other sights, those of Vienna and Salzburg. Thanks to coach travel company B D for transporting my mobility scooter and making this possible. My brother was a year or two ahead of me in his debilitation and requiring a mobility scooter and stair lift (so fat I'm still managing with the banister).
I hope to soon have an appointment with an NHS neurologist, interested in PPS, as I would so love to know what I may attribute to PPS and what the future may be expected perhaps to bring. I wonder if any of my experiences will strike a chord with others.
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My Experience by Sylvia
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My Experience by Sylvia
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Sylvia, Polio Survivors Network
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Sylvia, Polio Survivors Network
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/0a9dd12ca3241d6c4260835ca5807954.pdf
672fb78ca88e5d667773644b177b52f4
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
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News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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PSN members
Various newspapers
Text
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Text
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I was eight years old when I was diagnosed with polio in Hungary. After our failed attempt at escaping to the west I was in an orphanage where I caught the polio virus while my mother was in prison. When she was released, she set about rehabilitating me with a daily regime of exercises. It took a year before I was able to take a few steps with elbow crutches but eventually I was able to attend school.
When I was 14, I had a muscle transplant on my right foot and the following year my left ankle was fixed because it was completely paralysed. I was still in plaster when the Hungarian revolution broke out and we took our chance to leave Hungary.
Once in England I had some physiotherapy in hospital and started school. After passing A levels I went to study Chemistry and met my husband. We married and I worked in research for three years. I was able to walk with one stick but only needed it outside.
When my first daughter was born, and I had no trouble carrying her. Two years later I gave birth to her sister. At the age of 30 I was at the peak of my abilities. My third daughter was born 8 years later. I was a part time science teacher and carried on teaching for 26 years, carrying heavy books, standing in classrooms, and walking without a stick.
I was not ready to retire at 60 so I trained as a chiropodist and left teaching. At first, I was visiting patients as well as looking after them in my surgery, but gradually I found carrying my heavy case even though it was on wheels difficult. I could work more efficiently from home. But sitting most of the day took its toll. In the beginning I would greet people as they arrived, then I left the front door open with a notice to invite them in, which meant that I did not even have to get up between patients.
I hardly noticed the deterioration over the next sixteen years as a chiropodist although I had to have first one then two callipers to stop the hyperextension of my knees. I gave up work when we moved to be near our grandchildren and now, I use two sticks indoors and an electric mobility scooter outdoors.
I can still drive my Motability car, but I have gradually lost the ability to use the stairs since I had a stairlift for the past thirteen years. Muscle loss is part of getting old and I am finding it more difficult even to stand up and to walk. My balance is very bad, and I fall easily. I have a small hairdresser’s stool on wheels in the kitchen which allows me to carry heavy pans with two hands, and to hoover and wash the floor. We have smooth floors downstairs so I can move easily. I have a stool in the shower which I take with me when visiting friends.
I shall be 82 next week and so I should be content with my life so far. I don’t know what the future will bring but I shall cope with it.
Dublin Core
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My Experience by Zsuzsanna Snarey
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My Experience by Zsuzsanna Snarey
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Zsuzsanna Snarey, Polio Survivors Network
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Zsuzsanna Snarey, Polio Survivors Network
experience
Hungary
Z Snarey
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/a03b0ee51a8fb50cd3fcf4363f8692bd.pdf
a676fcfcb5ffc04ddf6ac7e75bc4e8c4
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
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News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
Rights
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Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
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PSN members
Various newspapers
Text
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Text
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My name is Urama Sunday Emmanuel, I had polio when I was 7months. I started walking at 6months and suddenly started to crawl at 7months. After two years I started walking again limping the right leg. I had no other problem apart from the partial paralysis of the right leg.
At my younger age, I could play football, table tennis, driving manual vehicles including trucks but was using the right leg only for throttle. When I purchased an automatic vehicle, I stopped engaging the right leg. At age 14, one orthopedic surgeon suggested that I should do surgery on my right leg so that I will not be holding my right leg while walking at older age and I vehemently refused to undergo any surgery.
At age 30 after my internship at the orthopedic hospital, I had an accident that broke my hand. I was admitted in the same orthopedic hospital and was given a walking stick to aid movement and prevent bending towards my right leg. At that stage I remembered the doctors advice of surgery to avoid holding my right leg while walking.
Presently now, I am 47, and cannot play football or table tennis or stand up for a long time or walk for a long distance without feeling tired and breathing fast. My weight is high and I need to reduce it.
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My Experience by Urama Sunday Emmanuel
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Experience by Urama Sunday Emmanuel
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Urama Sunday Emmanuel, Polio Survivors Network
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Urama Sunday Emmanuel, Polio Survivors Network
experience
U S Emmanuel
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/586f3814f0f974b74c75ef2595ab9eb0.pdf
433dea2d3a3594ad18664dc8d41073e3
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Title
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
Subject
The topic of the resource
News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
Rights
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Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
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PSN members
Various newspapers
Text
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Text
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My Polio Experience (Anonymously provided)
I am a 75-year-old woman. I had polio when I was 18 months old in the 1949 epidemic, before there was a vaccine. I don't remember getting ill or being in hospital.
I grew up with a paralysed left arm and a slightly impaired right leg. My parents were told to put my arm in a sling. When I was four, I had an operation on my leg and a doctor decided I should be strapped into a plastic support to hold my paralysed arm bent at the elbow. The support required many tedious trips to hospital for measuring and replacements when it got cracked or I grew. I hated it so much. It prevented me from doing all the things I wanted to do, which, at that age, was playing with dolls, dressing-up, clambering about on climbing frames in the park etc. Unknown to me, my parents were very concerned about how I'd cope at school while wearing the support. Nevertheless, the rule at home was, 'You must wear the support. Doctor says'. Fortunately, one day, when I was taken to hospital for a check-up, I saw a different doctor. He had the empathy to inquire about how I found the support. When my mother explained how obstructive it was, he surprised her by saying that its sole purpose was to help me. If it didn't help, I didn't need to wear it. We threw it in the bin and life improved no end. I started school able to join in everything.
At university, I used my experience to write my undergraduate dissertation on relationships with physically disabled people. This was long before anyone had thought about disability studies. There were few relevant texts to consult. I married, but sadly, was widowed. I was left with a two-year-old son. I brought him up on my own, became a teacher and later left teaching to work in the voluntary sector. In the 2000s I did a diploma in disability studies, which I enjoyed immensely and it gave me a fresh outlook and a knowledge base from which to campaign.
I always fell over occasionally, but thought nothing of it. By the time I reached my 50s, it seemed to me it happened more often. About 15 years ago, I found that I couldn't get up by myself when I fell. It has led to some difficult situations. I realised it must be post-polio syndrome. My walking had become a bit limited. Following several bouts of infection in my leg, originally due to an infected cut, I was sent to hospital for intravenous antibiotics. On leaving the hospital, I found I couldn't walk back to the car park. My GP sought the advice of a neurologist who said that the infection could be exacerbating the post-polio syndrome. It would probably get better on its own. It did improve a bit. Now I have had a number of recurrences of the infection and each time I'm left unable to walk as well as I could before. I use a stick and can only walk about 30 metres, with my leg getting imperceptibly weaker with every step. I have to be very careful. I have not found any references, in general information about post-polio syndrome, to infections having this effect.
I have been lucky enough to enjoy much good health. Of course, women need the services of health professionals even when they're well. As I get older I've had to consult health professionals more often. I continue to be surprised and disappointed by their attitudes. It is my experience that, whatever my reason for using health services, the professionals think that, without asking any questions about my circumstances, because I have an impairment, I must be 'informed' that I 'can't do' various tasks that I've been happily doing for over 70 years and, in the guise of 'helping', they actually make life more difficult for me.
So far, I've led a fulfilling life. In my retirement, I pursue my interest in politics, support community projects and campaign, particularly around equality and disability access.
Dublin Core
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My Experience Anonymous
Subject
The topic of the resource
Experience
Creator
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Anonymously provided to Polio Survivors Network
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Information about rights held in and over the resource
Polio Survivors Network
Anonymous
experience
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/3f226e85c8569e7afe30837dc06fc0d3.pdf
2ccff890ffa972d05179710be5e84fde
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
Subject
The topic of the resource
News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
Creator
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PSN members
Various newspapers
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
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Any textual data included in the document
76 and Still Adapting.
What a coincidence, I had just returned from a visit with the neurologist when I opened the email from Toni Dunlop asking for my polio story. I’m more than happy to share with others who have also dealt with polio, the disease that keeps on giving.
I’m 76 and had polio when I was 18 months old. That was 1949 and there was a big epidemic here in the states. I was lucky in that my grandfather was a physician. I was placed in Cripple Children’s Clinic, Birmingham, Alabama. When my grandfather, “Wekkie” (short for Westcott) came to visit me and saw the conditions there, he swept me up out of the bed, put me in his car, and drove to Warm Springs, Georgia where I got state-of-the-art treatment at the Warm Springs Foundation which was well-known due it’s patient, Franklin D. Roosevelt. I can’t tell you what a difference it has made in my life. For all intents and purpose, it was a normal life, yet so far from it.
I played sports, not very well, but I played. In high school I lettered on the B-team basketball, and was state champion in the shot put. What a sport! It’s all upper body strength, and you hop on just one leg. Luckily, it was my good left leg!
I know that I spent some time in an iron lung at age two. I don’t know how much, but any time in Skinner’s Box is a bunch. Here I am, a 76-year-old man and I still vividly remember that contraption. Someone ought to do a study on the psychological effect of the iron lung on infant children. I remember how frightened I was. I remember not being touched by another human being. I still don’t do so very good with relationships today. I’ve really tried hard, but just can’t make it work. Just another scarred soul due to polio.
I guess it’s a triumph on my part that I don’t feel guilty any longer and blaming myself. It was just the start of how polio warped my soul as well as my body.
After I got out of Warm Springs, I remained an out-patient. I started with a hip brace which gradually became shorter as I got older, and was only high-top shoes when I started first grade at age six. I started wearing non-orthotic shoes in the third grade (Just a metatarsal wedge on the soul of my right shoe).
In the fourth grade they discovered that I had scoliosis, an “S” curve in my spine. So, the docs at Warm Springs prescribed a brace for me. Their orthotic shop measured me and tailor-made a corset with stainless steel stays. It went from my diaphragm down to my hips, extending a little lower on the front and rear. I remember it was the strongest, thickest cotton I had ever touched. Down the back, there was a stay on either side of my spine with a steal loop welding the two at the top and bottom. I got refitted with a new brace every six months until the ninth grade.
Man, I can remember how the blood would drain from my face and hands with anguish when I contemplated going to junior high school wearing a bulky brace with GIRLS! Lucky again. I quit wearing the brace two months before I started ninth grade. And that was pretty much it for my treatment during my youth.
Growing up, the family never talked about me and my problems with polio. I guess it was because my mother could never fully accept it. It conflicted with her perfect life. As great as her father was, she was a bit lacking in support. Mom wasn’t warped. She was just bent a little bit. Anyway, it was enough to make it hard to love her.
So, growing up was tough. I never had anyone that I could talk with about what I was going through. Too bad because I was a highly intelligent, very sensitive, very creative, ultra-shy and extremely introverted soul in the midst of a family of high achievers. I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I felt shame. I, on the other hand, wasn’t much of an achiever. I finished high school with barely a “C” average. A letter grade lower in any course, in any year, would have stopped me from graduating. Yet, I was a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist. Interesting, huh.
Well, that’s the story of my life up until now. As I said, I just returned from my latest visit to the neurologist. The good news is that a recent nerve conductivity test on my right leg compared favorably with another conducted five years ago. There’s still no motor neuron activity from the knee down… dead. Oh, the pain nerves are working just fine. I’m aware of it every night when I go to bed.
My hip is withered and my toes are curled up because I can’t move them. Every night I have to designate about 20 minutes of my stretching time to my poor little toes. My god, they can hurt so bad.
Remember what I said about small things? My goal in life is to stay loose. No one else knows better than us what it’s like to have a part of your body in a constant, rigid spasm. It hurts.
Now pay attention because here’s the part that nobody is talking to you about. On the affected parts of your body that are still running, you’ve got a reduced a reduced number of motor neurons due to polio. So, this means that when you have injuries, such as lower spinal injuries, you are more susceptible to injury than even you think you are. Case in point – my back.
A year ago I had a fall, and this fall was different from all the rest because I couldn’t roll into the fall. My feet were tangled in the hose as I was watering my plants. I pride myself on my ability to take a fall, rolling on my shoulder where I don’t get hurt, just dirty. But this time I fell straight back in a sitting position. You can imagine what this did to my spine. When I hit, the sound in my head was like a “thud” on the side of a jug. It was hard.
The shock of the impact went straight up my spine giving me a wedge compression fracture in T-12 and another compression fracture in T-11. Interestingly, the lumbar section held up just fine. That’s because it was surgically rebuilt (my second back surgery) with fusions, bone grafts and titanium rods, and when they did it, they built it like a bridge. Before and after nerve conductivity tests and MRIs show an undamaged spinal column and nerve roots. Yet, peristalsis stopped when I fell.
The theory is that polio left me with a reduced number of motor neurons, and the few that remained to run my lower digestive tract were damaged in the fall. Seems reasonable. After all, I had already lost the ability to express my bladder without a catheter.
So, here I am. Performing a sensitive balancing act with Mira-Lax in order to keep my digestive system moving, and I’ve got diarrhea for the rest of my life. Oh, and by the way, I’m nearly two inches shorter than I was when I graduated from high school.
I’ve accepted myself as I am, not broken, just bent pretty good. Both physically and emotionally. I’m moving on with plans to remodel my bathroom and plant a peach tree in the yard. I’m moving forward. It’s bound to be better than what’s behind me.
I’ll leave you with these words of advice. Learn how to take a fall if you haven’t already. Find someone to teach you. You know that you’re going to fall…sooner or later. Make the best of it.
Me, I’m going to stay loose, or loose as I can. Then I’m going to get high and bake some banana bread. Life is good, even when it deals you a bad hand. It’s not the hand you’re dealt, but how you play it. You can do it; you are some of the toughest people in this world. Keep on adapting!
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76 and Still Adapting by Marion Rushing
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76 and Still Adapting
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Marion Rushing, Polio Survivors Network
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Marion Rushing, Polio Survivors Network
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M Rushing
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/5e3bfa389341e5faba68133de05790a3.pdf
6d8ccdea7191ebd18301c249cf2b46e5
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As a seven year old just nearing the end of going to infant school in Lincoln during 1957, the energies in life were endless. It must have been the final half term in April, there it was me and my friend climbing on play equipment in the local park without a care in the world, when it all started. There was me feeling very unwell. I remember the pain in my body was getting worse, so I returned home as fast as I could knowing the one person would be there for me, my Mum. With Dad at work, my twin brother out with his mates and sis as I called her then, was helping Mum in the kitchen. Mum, without hesitation seeing my condition getting no better, ask sis to stay with me whilst Mum rushed to the neighbours four doors down in our row of terraced houses to ask if she could use their telephone. With the nearest public telephone box at the post office 10 minutes away, it was a bonus, mums very seldom worked in those days as our kind neighbour answered the door and let Mum phone the doctor. On his arrival, with me on the settee stretched out, his diagnosis was swift.
He and Mum went down to the neighbour again who by this time was waiting with the passage front door open ready and concerned for them to return. A short while later the cream coloured ambulance with its bell ringing so loud came to the excitement of most of the neighbours in the street who all came out to watch while I was carried out on a stretcher to be placed in the back of the ambulance. On arrival at St George's Hospital Lincoln the Dr immediately put me in isolation in a glass cubicle with others either side. Being so young I had no idea what was going on as I was unable to move. Laying there paralysed, the nurse came in, gowned up to and said " o dear I feel it best if we changed your sheets" I'd lost all lower body feeling and control.
I remember being transferred to a room with a big box iron lung and laying there so must have had difficulty breathing at some time as Mum confirmed in later years on re-vists to St George's. After a time I was transferred to a ward where children laid in bed. I recall drinking from a teapot lying flat on the bed stretching out my left arm. Mum, aunts, crying, wiping tears from their eyes, uncles looking on, all unable to verbally ask anything through the glass observation area. Over time and treatment St George's Hospital transferred me to the County Hospital in Lincoln as I regained movement slowly in the recovery children's ward.
My whole life of hard work eventually started to show areas of weakness in my late 50's. I thought its time to start having words with the Dr. Sleep Apnea was ruled out after tests. I had a word with the Dr after the hospital test who was a polio specialist. Enquiring he commented there are possible signs of PPS. I carried on with work until I felt a four day was needed so I could recover over a long weekend.
Going to see the local Dr in 1963 and asked the question again about PPS, not a chance she said, I've had no case of that in my working career but I'll get you to see a neurologist to check it out. I had to travelled to Nottingham for test only to find the young neurologist just making snide remarks of how mild my condition was at 70 years old, how I'm looking for answers nobody seem to little about. No dedicated person at The County Hospital, my local Dr has no time to listen, even with EMG carried out by the neurologist assistant and when neurologist turned up briefly, he was constantly interrupted by a trainee neurologist.
My life goes on at the age of 73, and thankful to wake up with a pulse and plan my day around my condition now. Plan B kicks in and lots, with planning and adjustment it keeps my independence ticking over. With the help of my power chair this gives me a way of being able to make the days routine more comfortable, happy days.
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My Experience by Eddie Clark
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My Experience by Eddie Clark
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/f5dbac4abe1d494a1bc9d1e0d5f06ff1.pdf
147cf95ddabcc77619e92dd21d2e5e60
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PSN <strong>Library</strong>
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Copyright is retained by The Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network and/or original author(s). Permission is granted to print copies of individual articles for personal use provided they are printed in their entirety. Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
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Nursing, marriage, polio, post polio syndrome
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Joy Stevens Experience
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Joy Stevens Experience
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J Stevens
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/5d0a0659063ca291bbd9d75fa17bcdd8.pdf
a4eac33441a58d0a18e1ef40aee6a372
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In memory of John Graham De’Ath, Air Commodore RAF (ret’d), MBE, MA, FIMgt, who died peacefully on 10th April 2023 aged 90.
John was an accomplished athlete and Olympic triallist before suffering from polio in his early twenties. After making what appeared to be a full recovery, he managed to return to a high standard of short and long-distance running and squash, among other sports.
In 1951 he joined the RAF as a Cranwell cadet straight from Whitgift Middle School in Croydon and, as an officer cadet, was selected to line the route at the 1953 Coronation. His RAF postings took him all over the UK, as well as Malta, the United States and Germany.
John retired from the RAF in 1986 to take up a post as Home Bursar at Jesus College, Oxford, where he had a happy and successful second career. During this time he developed post-polio syndrome, which eventually forced him to retire from his College post. During his time in Oxford he was heavily involved in various sporting organisations, including the RAF Athletics Association, Achilles Club, Oxford University Athletics Association and Oxford University Air Squadron. He was an active campaigner for women’s sport.
Despite being a wheelchair-user from 2010, John continued travelling around the world with the help of his wife, Sonia. Sports, wine, music and travel were his passions.
He passed away peacefully on Easter Monday in a care home, after several happy days spent with his family, singing along to favourite songs, joking, and smiling to the last.
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John De'Ath Orbituary
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J De'Ath
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S Brough
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/2869f2f06697dbbe3ce40f154e7cd1f0.pdf
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In 1958, at age 11, there was suddenly a steep downturn in my mental and physical ability. There was no obvious reason why that happened. My parents thought that the simultaneous pains were probably “growing pains” as the only real pain I had was severe cramps in my legs, particularly the left one.
My parents were the type who would stop at nothing to find out what was wrong. They had nearly lost my sister to illness during the war and were determined not to go through the same concerns with me. However nothing was diagnosed, the pains eventually eased after a couple of years and my school work and physical activity gradually improved, although I played rugby rather than my first love football as I was somewhat slower running and I had developed a slight limp. My school work was not as good as it should have been with particular problems at exam times. Previously I had been very good at this although I say it myself!
Generally speaking, despite several health problems, I managed quite well until after university and starting work, I began falling especially when walking over uneven ground. When my left leg started aching again, I was advised to see a specialist who had, by chance, considerable experience with polio both at home and abroad and, after examining me, came to the conclusion that I must have had polio some forty years or more earlier, at the time when the leg pains started at age eleven.
I was advised to wear an orthotic leg brace and other supports which I did for several years.
When my left knee was replaced, my surgeon said that in the process, he would be able to lengthen my left leg which subsequently allowed me to stop using the brace and improved my mobility but the aches and pains continued because of what I now realise was PPS.
There was, and still are, constant mobility problems. However, I think myself extremely fortunate to have survived sixty five years without many of the considerable challenges that most polio sufferers have had to bear. In recent years, I have suffered from sepsis and a mild stroke and recently have had a shunt fitted on my brain as treatment for hydrocephalus. I mention these last three complaints only because my non-medical training makes me wonder if they, in any way could have been promoted by my earlier polio. Has my central nervous system suffered because of polio? Perhaps other PPS sufferers might have a view on this. Nevertheless, I consider myself extremely fortunate in that polio did not have more serious implications for me.
I enjoy being a member of the Lincolnshire branch of the Fellowship, despite not having been to meetings recently as my recent operation means I can’t drive for a while. The secretary is very good at keeping me informed.
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My Experience by John Hopkinson
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My Experience by John Hopkinson
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John Hopkinson, Polio Survivors Network
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John Hopkinson, Polio Survivors Network
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J Hopkinson
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/8e86e0c0293ae979b547bf983af958e7.pdf
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
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Various newspapers
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Hi, my name is Maureen l am a polio survivor. I contracted polio in the early 1950s - in them days doctors were very wary of telling the patient or their parents what they had / diagnosed with. I can remember as a small child of 3 years of age being in hospital for long spells that seem to go on for years in and out of hospitals all the time. Eventually from the age of about 8 they discharged me and told my parents what l had been suffering from - l carried on with my life as a child doing what children do but l always walked with a limp which was noticeable to other children and adults.
Post Polio Syndrome became a problem to me in my early 40s when l started to fall or trip over for no reason - after watching a documentary on TV about the latter stages of a Polio Survivor l realised that it was me.
After visiting my GP, she arranged for me to have an assessment with a consultant at Kings College Hospital in London who diagnosed PPS.
I will now jump to my current daily life and how it has affected me now. At the age of 74 l have so many problems which l have to come to terms with. My right foot / ankle / leg has completely deformed, and l walk over on one side - my weight has increased as not being able to walk without pain and aids - swallowing is also a major problem where l choke on food / fluids if not chewed or swallowed completely.
Twice yearly l have steroids injections in my feet and ankle but my Consultant recommended that l have surgery as my foot is now bone on bone. With arthritis in both feet now on top the disability l have, life is not as it should be in my retirement years. My medication is Gabapentin 500mg x 4 times daily - Co- codamol every 4 hours for the pain, plus various sprays / roll ons / ointment / on feet to relieve the pain.
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My Experience by Maureen Chapman
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My Experience by Maureen Chapman
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Maureen Chapman, Polio Survivors Network
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Maureen Chapman, Polio Survivors Network
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M Chapman
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/ff56dcae907dae6849fe8584c40e8d41.pdf
a5f4f7b5fb2a0693252e151b9e2de200
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News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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Various newspapers
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An Interview With Marion Carlisle
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and your polio journey
My mother is very sure I had polio when I was 2 (1960). She said it was the worst week of her life, though I was not hospitalised. I recovered with slight walking impediment for a year. Then apparently nothing until I was 39 when symptoms started: unexplained temperature rises, progessive fatigue.
Q: When did you first realise you had PPS?
I self-diagnosed P.P.S in 2003 (age 45) after reading Dr. Bruno's 'The Polio Paradox'. So much in his book rang bells. There was the gradual onset of unexplained symtpoms in my late '30s. The fact that all blood tests fell into the 'normal' range and yet I could hardly function at all sometimes.
Q: How did you get a diagnosis?
I've been living in West Wales since 2002 and haven't had any official diagnosis or seen any expert in the field. My local GP accepted my self-diagnosis but apart from prescribing Q10 on the NHS, I've had no medical help.
Q: What has helped you to cope?
I've been following protocol for M.E. / C.F.S patients, ie pacing, supplements and a low carb / high protein diet for many years. Accepting limitation rather than fighting it has been a key. Although I don't need physical aids and can walk OK, new arm weakness means I don't lift heavy things – including a half-full kettle. A background in meditation, being in the 'here and now' as much as possible helps me to accept what I can't change. Perhaps mental fatigue is the most challenging – not able to read or engage socially when I'm very exhausted. Then re-charging the batteries, alone and doing nothing is the only help.
Q: Is there anything that our members can help you with currently?
Yes, I wonder if any other members have experienced constant tingling sensations, like pins and needles. This tingling started just in the soles of my feet, then progessively moved up my body. This used to disappear with prolonged rest. Now the tingling never goes away and is my whole body, including my head. I also experience a strong pulse in my adrenal area, especially in the night and on waking. There seems to be no medical reason for this.
Q: What one piece of advice would you give to other polio survivors?
I know I'm not facing challenges like many polio survivors. I can walk and have been working part-time musically for the last 10 years, finding more strength by sticking to the diet and supplements protocol. So advice? Not really. I'll just say that feeling empowered – in whatever way that means for a person – is vital. Celebrating ones talents, however small. Enjoying the world around – the elements, the natural world and being able to receive and give to others. Also spiritual gifts are so important. Through undergoing limitation (not something I'd wish on anyone), I'm more receptive to the essentials in life. There is a silver lining in having to let go ambition!
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An Interview With Marion Carlisle
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An Interview With Marion Carlisle
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/84bc73b899169736eb79b00128056026.pdf
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Lynne – One of Our Amazing Members
Hi there, my name is Lynne Morton I am 53 years old in November. I contracted polio when I was 13 months old, in 1967 I was given the polio vaccine the very next day I was rushed to hospital put into isolation and diagnosed with polio. I contracted the disease from the vaccine! All of this is in my medical records; apparently it was tested in the lab and was found to be contaminated so basically the thing that was supposed to stop me getting the disease actually gave me it!
I have managed to live a good life; I have 4 children and a beautiful granddaughter who keeps me on my toes and another grandchild on the way.
I’ve tried to not let the disease stop me too much but recently I am finding it very hard as I feel I am just not taken seriously in regards to my symptoms, and post-polio syndrome seems to be a taboo subject in the health department. I know many other polio survivors are experiencing the same as me, but we will soldier on and hopefully one day make the practitioners see this is something to be taken seriously.
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Experience of Lynne Morton
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/bbc4eea4ae9d4924bd4bf8303e467b15.pdf
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News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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Various newspapers
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My Polio Story by Michael Kossove, Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Professor of Microbiology, Touro University, School of Health Sciences, New York
In 1948, after returning from summer vacation in the country, I came down with polio. It was non-paralytic, and my family decided to keep it a secret. And they did and died with the secret. In graduate school I studied Virology with Dr. John Winsser, who was a Team Leader with Dr. Albert Sabin when he developed the oral polio vaccine. I learned everything about polio, except that I was a survivor. During my early years of teaching Microbiology on the college level (I'm still teaching Medical Microbiology at 85). one of my students asked me about PPS. He saw something about it on the news the other night. I never heard about it. I visited the 3 Support Groups in my area and heard the "nightmare" stories. Each group asked me to talk about polio. I realized that survivors really had no idea about the disease, especially 3 types of viruses. At that point I changed my research from Microbiology of the Eye to PPS. With the 3 group leaders, my college, Touro College, now Touro University, sponsored the first conference on PPS. I attended a Polio Convention in St. Louis and met survivors from all over the country. I began to receive invitations to speak in person, to their Support Groups.
In the early 1980's I began to experience PPS. I was diagnosed with PPS by an Orthopedist, and a Physiatrist. On a trip to Boca Raton, Fl, to talk to the group, I stopped by my aunt. She confirmed that I had polio. Shortly thereafter, I needed an AFO (short brace) on my left leg, and over the years it became a full metal and leather brace. As the years continued, I needed an AFO short brace on my right leg, and 3 years ago, a full metal and leather brace on my right leg.
During these years I developed Power-point Presentations that I presented to Support Groups, and at Polio Conference across the United States. Since COVID, I have had the opportunity to Zoom with Support Groups in the United States as well as Canada, Australia, and to a Rotary Group in London. My highlight was receiving an invitation to speak to a group of Orthopedic Surgeons, by Zoom, in Beijing, China. I continue to Zoom. I have 5 Power-point Presentations, and I continue to create others.
I am extremely lucky not to have had the early effects of polio, and I treat PPS as "a little inconvenience." I am not handicapped. I am "handicapable."
Because of this big secret, I was drafted out of college in 1958, and sent to Germany as a Senior Medical Aid Man, when Khrushchev banged his shoe on the podium of the United Nations, and walked out. We were ready for war. Thank God that didn't happen. I was released in August 1960. to return to school. If I knew I was a survivor, I would not have had to serve. It turned out that, without war, it was a blessing in disguise. The Veterans Administration made my braces, my glasses, hearing aids, and take wonderful care of me when I need them. They have accepted the fact that the service may have perpetuated PPS.
I am presently writing a book: "Polio, Then, Now, and the Survivors, I hope to complete it by December, 2023. I have met so many survivors through Zoom, and they have been the motivation for the book. I would like this book not only educate polio survivors and their families, but the Medical and Allied Health Communities as well.
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My Polio Story by Professor Michael Kossove
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My Polio Story
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Professor Michael Kossove
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USA
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/57440671ede3181f26645a41f1f8df00.pdf
de3890f20b9ea286b9e71c205683bb80
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
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News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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Various newspapers
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Written on the eve of my 69th birthday, this is the story of how polio has affected my life.
It was my sister’s birthday, July 28th, but there was no party on that day in 1955 because I was being taken to St George’s Hospital, Tooting, suffering from polio.
I spent several months in St George’s and I have a vivid memory of the day I left, walking down the long corridors with my mother holding my hand. Every time I took a step with my weakened left leg, the knee gave way and I performed a little genuflection. My mother was crying.
I went back to school and got on with life, with the recommendation that I ride a tricycle to strengthen the affected muscles and have a lift built into my shoe to prevent my left foot from turning inwards. I was collected once a week by ambulance from school and taken to St George’s for physiotherapy.
For the rest of my school life, I was the kid with a limp. I walked, cycled, played football and cricket. I was not spared the hell of the cross-country run. On my journey home from school, I would often pick out a pedestrian some way in front of me and make every effort to walk fast enough to overtake them before reaching my house. This “I’ve had polio but so what” carried on into teenage years and into the world of work. I remember one manager asking me if I would register as disabled (so he could meet his quota); I refused indignantly.
Then followed marriage and parenthood. The lift on my shoe was replaced by a cork insole. I hit 30 then 40 then 50. I could walk 15 miles. I climbed Pen-y-Ghent. I walked a mile or two every lunchtime. I took up cycling again and duelled with the Range Rovers in the lanes of Surrey. This activity continued with cycling holidays in Holland (flat) and France (not flat).
Between 2000 and 2004 I completed a part-time degree course, rushing around London and hopping on and off trains and Tubes. We went on group walking holidays, which proved to be disastrous as I could not keep up with the rest. A friend recommended a podiatrist, who scorned my NHS cork insoles and had a pair made (not just the left foot) from hard plastic, which was agony until my feet adjusted to the new shape.
At about the age of 58, I began to find walking an effort. No longer was I overtaking pedestrians. My daily walk to the station went from 10 minutes to twelve to fifteen. It was as if I were willing my legs to move but they could only respond sluggishly. The lunchtime walks came to an end. The bike went in the shed.
I took redundancy/retirement at 60. The bike came out of the shed and was overhauled. I joined a gym and worked ferociously at the treadmill, rowing machine and exercise bicycle. That was perhaps unwise, as I could not stop myself going flat out – something not recommended for post-polio muscles. About this time, my ‘good’ right foot displayed an alarming tendency to collapse to the right, throwing me off balance and landing me more than once in the gutter. I had some new insoles made and started using a walking stick. I joined the BPF. The bike went back in the shed until I gave it to one of my sons.
With help from the BPF, a pain in my knee, which I mistakenly took to be polio-related, led to an appointment with a post-polio specialist at Kings College Hospital. I learnt that there wasn’t much to be done, and that my right foot had also been affected by polio to some degree. I was referred to a rehab centre where I was fitted for an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) for the left leg and a re-modelled insole for the right foot. For 55 years, I had been walking with my left leg straight and the knee locked rigid; the AFO forced me into a more normal gait.
About 18 months ago, I became aware that my left quadriceps had become weak. It meant I could not use alternate legs when climbing stairs, not without hauling myself up on the banisters when it was my left leg’s turn to do the pushing. A physiotherapist recommended some exercises but it has not been possible to regain strength in that muscle.
Most of my cars have been manual and I’ve been able to work the clutch, though my left foot becomes tired after repeated gear changes in heavy traffic. However, in the last month or so, I have had difficulty pressing the clutch all the way to the floor in any circumstances, resulting in some expensive-sounding grinding noises.
I can walk a mile or so, with regular rest stops to give my legs a chance to recover. Luckily my town is quite well provided with benches. I am well-known to local bus drivers, but my visits to London are rare these days. That’s partly due to the fact that step-free access is still some way off and partly because I’ve got out of the habit of being in crowds.
I fell down some steps during a French walking holiday in 2005, and this has made me very wary of descending stairs, for fear my left leg will give way and propel me forward – and downwards. If nobody’s looking, I often undertake part of the descent on my bottom. I dread leaving aeroplanes via steps, but even using BA is no guarantee of an air bridge.
Where does that leave me, at 69 with PPS? I am mentally alert, can get about at my own pace, can drive (though may need an automatic). I can’t walk in a group, cycle, run up and down stairs, or swim. My mobility has worsened over the past 10 years. I have no idea what the next ten years holds, but I will deal with it, with the help of friends and family.
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My Polio Story by Mike Locke
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My Polio Story
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Mike Locke, Polio Survivors Network
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aging
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M Locke
story
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/4b38839af250802bf163e5d2abd468ef.pdf
f39cc1ec8b2aa62c96b74c70a8fce5d1
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
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News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
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PSN members
Various newspapers
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It was 1953, I was five years old and in my first year at school. I have a clear memory of trying to get out of bed and my legs giving way under me. Our GP had seen me the previous day and told my mother to give me a couple of aspirin and I would be fine. I do not recall much of what happened after that. The paralysis was confined to my legs and I do recall being taken out in a pushchair but I was cared for at home so it must have been a relatively mild condition. I was deemed to have made a good recovery but I became a sickly child with lots of pain in my limbs. When I returned to school, I felt detached from my surroundings and the other children. I was often in trouble for daydreaming and looking out of the windows, wishing I were somewhere else. I seemed to be tired all the time and cold. I scraped along at school, just getting by.
After leaving school I had a succession of jobs and decided to redress my lack of education by pursuing an Open University degree. Married at twenty-one I had the unstinting support of my hardworking wife, who was a nurse. I secured a post at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington in 1974 and commenced a rich and fulfilling career, initially as an assistant curator and for the last 14 years before I retired as the Biodiversity & Conservation Officer in the Zoology Department. I ran international development projects throughout South and tropical Southeast Asia, mostly based on surveys in tropical rainforests. I supervised PhD students and postdoctoral researchers and followed my career dream. Problems that were later recognised as PPS began to cause problems. Episodes of brain fog were the most alarming because I had no idea what the cause might be, and I avoided public speaking, lecturing and conference presentations. Episodes of fatigue had long been a problem but they became overwhelming. I was still riding high running international projects but mobility became an increasing problem, with leg pain and weakness. Following a serious road accident on the borders of Vietnam and China in 2013 it became increasingly clear that I could not continue. All field work ended. I continued at the Museum for a further three years before retiring.
In 2021 and after 50 years in our much-loved home, we realised that a three-storey house was no longer suitable. We moved to a bungalow close to shops and amenities. It was a big step to take but proved to be an excellent decision and perfect for our current needs. I still contribute to scientific papers and write articles but productivity is low, I work around the fatigue brain fog and pain. The most important thing that I learned from the Lane Fox Unit at St Thomas’ Hospital was to pace myself and be careful to work within my limitations. It is frustrating but the only way.
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My Short Story Fred Naggs
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Fred Naggs Short Story
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Fred Naggs, Polio Survivors Network
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Fred Naggs, Polio Survivors Network
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F Naggs
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/a00b06db4c7391ec9e59232fa7eee8e7.pdf
58674a46413b755ff3d0abc26ed2eb9d
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PSN <strong>Library</strong>
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Copyright is retained by The Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network and/or original author(s). Permission is granted to print copies of individual articles for personal use provided they are printed in their entirety. Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
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A collection of articles of interest to the polio survivor community.
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My name is Neill Jupp and am 75 years of age and a Polio Survivor who caught Polio at the age of 3. The main part of my body that got the Polio was my right side from the right arm to my foot which was described as a club foot very misshapen and no muscle at all.
I spent most of my early years in an isolation hospital in Newhaven Sussex where my parents looked through the window from outside not being allowed anywhere near me. Most of my hospital stays were in Chailey Heritage a craft school in Sussex in the middle of nowhere making it difficult to visit as the bus service was very poor. How my mother got to visit me I will never know as she never talked about my early years as she seemed to blame herself.
Life in Chailey was difficult to say the least the regime was harsh you had to watch your back at all times as you could and would get a beating for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. My medical side was lots of procedures and 2 operations which have lasted for 66 years but are now worn out and no replacement in sight as nobody nowadays knows much about polio due to all the old surgeons being retired or dead, so polios get pushed out because nobody seem s to care or understand the pain you are now in.
My treatment over the last 40 years has been hit and miss some doctors will take you on then either move on or retire just as you are getting them to understand your needs very frustrating.
My life now is that I am back to walking sticks as the pain in my leg is so bad that a stick takes the pressure off my joints. The only exercise I can manage is swimming as it is non weight bearing so my joints can relax for 30 minutes. You have to keep positive and not let it beat you but I take lots of breaks so that i am not tiring myself out plenty of fresh air on the seafront sitting on a bench and enjoying the view also is good for you.
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Neill Jupp Experience
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Neill Jupp Experience
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Neill Jupp, Polio Survivors Network
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Neill Jupp, Polio Survivors Network
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isolation
N Jupp
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/fa15c3c6ca0b2f56ba73a8fd86c83f82.pdf
8c3e62e0efcf11012df8d0dbee48d642
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
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News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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Various newspapers
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I was born in 1942 and when I was 4 I contracted polio the day after visiting Redcar beach. I was admitted to the isolation hospital in Darlington where I spent a week in an iron lung and was then transferred to the Adela Shaw Orthopaedic hospital in Kirkbymoorside in North Yorkshire where I spent a number of years having treatment. I was discharged wearing a caliper on my right leg. At the age of 7 I was readmitted to have 2 operations to my leg and I believe the surgery was related to my Achilles tendon. At 14 I had a further 2 operations for the same thing. My right foot is 2 sizes smaller than my left and an inch shorter. 20 years ago I started wearing an AFO (ankle foot orthoses) on my right leg and a built up shoe.
I have never let my polio hold me back and have lived a normal life enjoying riding a bike, a horse and even abseiling!! I married at the age of 23 after working in London as a Nanny for a number of years. I was married for 53 years until I lost my husband just before the pandemic. I have one son however I would have loved to have more however I do believe that the polio was a factor in why this did not happen as my body is twisted.
As the years have passed I have noticed symptoms that I associate with post polio including reduced mobility and balance issues. I had an operation on my neck in 2013 which gave me back my mobility. I continue to have symptoms however I am still mobile even if I have to use a stick sometimes. I had a steroid injection in June which was fabulous and has given me several weeks pain free.
I have always lived a full life being involved in many charities including WRVS for 32 years, setting up the Alzheimer’s day centre in Richmond (North Yorkshire) and being a school governor. I am rarely at home as I am either lace making, sewing, lunching or talking. I am also lucky to spend time with my extended family.
I have attached 3 photos. The first is me with my family on the beach the day before I contracted polio. I am the girl with the dark hair and plaits sat on my Granny’s knee.
The second photo is me with my caliper with my younger sister.
The last photo is me as I am today. Fabulous at 80 (nearly 81)!!!!!!!
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My Polio Story by Dianah King
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My Polio Story
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Dianah King, Polio Surviors Network
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Dianah King, Polio Survivors Network
D King
experience
polio story
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/a9599ffa5dd8e8a543e9831968957786.pdf
d899c4094580aba5ec721a1f67167c3b
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
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The topic of the resource
News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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PSN members
Various newspapers
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An Interview With … Val Scrivener
Tell us a little about
yourself, the person behind the photocards.
Bedford has always been my home and, until the age of 17, I suppose I lived a fairly uneventful life. I loved sport and, even in my first school was winning races on sports day (winnings were a 2/6d postal order which bought me a book at our local bookshop). I high-jumped, was in the netball team, swam and also played badminton at our local youth club. I was just beginning to enjoy going to the twice-yearly youth club country dances when polio struck, paralysing my right leg. I returned to school (now in VI form) with a stick. Sport, gym and games were out and I began to feel that I fitted in nowhere and became, I suppose, somewhat isolated knowing that my former friends and team-mates were spending their lunch hour outside practising.
My father was quick to see the void in my life and one day came home with a box camera. Never did it occur to me at the time that his thoughtfulness would lead to a lifetime hobby. Much later in life I went along to the local camera club to learn how to use my newly acquired, second-hand, SLR camera and there I became fully launched as an avid lover of photography. With my late husband, John, I began some weird and wonderful travels around the world in my school holidays as, by now, I had begun teaching at a local lower school. I now restrict my travelling to the UK following several falls, but there is so much out there to photograph if you look for it.
What makes you passionate about supporting Polio Survivors Network?
I suppose the first and most obvious answer is to say, 'Because I had polio.' I, like many others, thought over many years that, although I have never since been able to partake in sport, I made a pretty lucky recovery. I could still walk and was able to lead a normal life. It was a bit of a shock when things began to deteriorate and I was told that the neurons boosting my muscles were only working at 10 percent capacity and that being overactive was simply wearing the muscles away.
I admire the research that seems to be taking place in the USA and I agree with comments regarding the lack of knowledge in this country, so few of my acquaintances had any idea that problems could resurface in later life once 'recovered from polio'. It is brilliant being updated with the knowledge of recent research via 'Post Polio Matters'. I am hoping that I am able to make the AGM this year as I feel meeting up with fellow members is very much like meeting up with family.
What gave you inspiration for the beautiful photocards sold on behalf of PSN?
I have, over the years, made special cards for friends and some time ago I had the thought that I could also make and sell cards to raise money. Being a PSN member my mind went immediately to this but I knew that I would have a better chance of selling them locally, to people who knew me. My local church seemed the ideal place to set up a pitch but in order to sell the polio cards I felt that I should be doing the same for the church. This I do once a month but it all takes time as I take the photos, print them, cut the prints to size, print details on sheets of card, stick the photos on the card and do any necessary trimming.
How can we place an order with you?
You will find the details on the back of this newsletter or on the PSN website. The orders will arrive in packs and you may ask specifically for a mixed pack/a pack showing animals / transport / scenery / flowers / cards suitable for men - it's your choice. I can then, at the time of ordering, give you the address to which you send a cheque.
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An Interview With Val Scrivener
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Interview
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Val Scrivener, Polio Survivors Network
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Val Scrivener, Polio Survivors Network
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Interview
V Scrivener
-
https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/f7dafbd5c2fc38055889336f51541506.pdf
1ca0cfe904752bb3edd371d048301d75
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
Subject
The topic of the resource
News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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Information about rights held in and over the resource
Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
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PSN members
Various newspapers
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An Interview With … Verite Reily Collins
Tell us a little about yourself and your polio journey
My father served in the Royal Navy, and we were all excited when he was appointed for three years to Turkey. Istanbul was a colourful and fascinating place as a teenager, but it came to an abrupt end when I caught polio. In those days the 'Military Covenant' was taken seriously; I was flown home and sent to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore (normally it was a six-month wait to get in).
My first day there, I was examined by the Great Man, Prof. Seddon - then one of greatest experts on polio. Gently he told me “you may never walk again". I told him I had no intention of staying in hospital - which annoyed him as it was his pride and joy - and he immediately passed me over to the care of his most junior doctor, J.I.P. James. Mr James and I got on like the proverbial 'house on fire’; saying "it can't hurt", we tried out different ideas, and I walked out of Stanmore.
When did you first realise you had PPS?
I had a vague idea, so asked Hilary. She told me all about it, gave me enormous help, and I joined up as a member of Polio Survivors Network (PSN)
How did you get a diagnosis?
Theoretically, I've never had a diagnosis from an expert - but then there doesn't seem one around in today's NHS. The NHS website has wiped polio off its pages, and now there is only information about PPS. Anyway, what Hilary has put together is good enough for me.
What, in your experience, is one of the larger issues facing polio survivors currently?
Ignorance. I now call in to play acting techniques learnt at school, and when a doctor or nurse lectures me "why didn't you have the polio vaccine" I burst into crocodile tears, very loudly! I am fed up with such crass comments, and find tears the best way of putting across the fact that we caught polio before Salk produced his vaccine; my mother was so frightened of polio she would have been first in the queue if there had been a vaccine, and breathed a sigh of relief when Dad was appointed to Turkey as in those days it was supposed to be polio-free.
However, ignorance amongst nursing staff is rife, and recently I used my savings to pay for an operation privately; the Pre-Op. Assessment Nurse at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital wouldn't arrange for me to see the Anaesthetist before my op. and I was scared of a repeat of the horrendous problems I had had when an Anaesthetist from The Royal Marsden hadn't administered the correct dosages, even though I clearly remember telling her twice I had had polio.
I had the operation privately, saw the anaesthetist for a good half hour a week beforehand, and sailed through it all. Worth every penny!
What one piece of advice would you give to other polio survivors?
Belong to PSN. I find the Polio Matters newsletter always has two or three things I have ringed for action or to follow-up.
What simple change would make the NHS more user-friendly for you?
To follow the same protocols as most European hospitals. In Europe I would phone the consultant for an appointment; here we are supposed to waste our time seeing a GP for a referral - when usually they haven't a clue. In Europe you are assumed to have a brain; in Britain the NHS is surprised we have anything between our ears. I remember the wonderful Professor Guiloff sending me off for an MRI Scan at Charing Cross, then telling me with great satisfaction that the scan showed I definitely had a brain.
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An Interview With Verite Reily-Collins
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Verite Reily-Collins, Polio Survivors Network
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V Reily-Collins
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/1dd579f6cd60baa4336ca186d73bee6f.pdf
ff29118a218061d66c79ec34ad327600
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PSN <strong>News and Experiences</strong>
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News articles that PSN members have collated which feature polio or post polio syndrome. Member experiences & correspondence published with permission.
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Various newspapers
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THE FOUNDING OF THE SCOTTISH POST POLIO NETWORK (SPPN)
In the late 1990's I began to experience the late effects of polio. I wrote about this time in my book “A Balanced Way of Living; Practical and Holistic strategies for Coping with PPS”. This is how I felt then ;
“ I had always led a very active life in spite of having had polio as a baby and wearing a caliper as a result of the disease. Even though I managed to achieve a great deal there were always more hurdles to overcome - gaining a degree, travelling, learning different skills including those involved in becoming a mother; all of these experiences
were rewarding but there were always, metaphorically speaking, more mountains to climb! When I was 30 I embarked on training to become an acupuncturist and after 3 years gained my license to practise. Working full time with 4 kids under 10 was challenging but did not phase me - I even found time to go swimming every other day and gave time to various committees! Of course I was on a merry go round that got faster and faster until it spun out of control. My poor old body was not prepared to keep up the hectic pace I had set it and with the symptoms of PPS becoming too strident to be ignored, I finally had to let go of pushing on and give myself a break.”
At the time of writing those words at the end of the twentieth century, thanks to the techno revolution that had recently given us the internet, I was able to gather much information about PPS but still felt very alone in my search for answers. As I spoke to other polio survivors and recorded their stories to include in my book I began to realise that there were many of us out there and that we needed to get ourselves organised!
Billy was one of the first polio survivors that I interviewed for my book and I wrote ;
“Billy from Glasgow, is also finding a need to fight on behalf of polio survivors and he was in the process of setting up a polio support group when I spoke with him.
He had only recently heard of PPS but had been struggling with his health for years. Finally, due to an article in a local newspaper, he was relieved to discover that the label of PPS could explain the underlying cause of his deterioration. When Billy contracted polio at 3 years old, he was put into an iron lung and when he came out it was to find that he needed to wear calipers on both legs. As he got older he managed to get by with only one caliper and being the fighter that he is, he “went into automatic” as he put it, working hard as a housing manager for the local council and bringing up 5 children.This tendency to get on with life and take on its challenges without a moment of hesitation, is by no means curtailed now that Billy finds himself in a wheelchair in his forties as a result of PPS. He is “angry and annoyed” to find that many health professionals have not heard of PPS and wants to change this for himself and other polio survivors by campaigning for more awareness of PPS.”
Meeting with Billy and hearing his story was in fact the start of the SPPN although neither of us realised it at the time!
Thanks to the sterling work of Hilary Ann Boone (Hallam as she was then) and through her organisation the Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network - LINK-PIN--I connected with another Scottish polio survivor-- Agnes Walker from Edinburgh. Agnes had a wealth of experience when it came to practical organisational skills and it soon became clear that she and I and Billy should all get together and see if we could create a support group of some sort. And that was how 20 years ago the core group that became the SPPN met to share experiences as polio survivors with PPS and also to have a laugh, a blether and light refreshment at a very cosy pub just outside Stirling. A few more local polio survivors members joined us from Glasgow and like Topsy our group grew and grew!
As time went by we formed a committee and thus the SPPN became a registered charity. From those very early days we decided not to be a “moan and groan” group. Although we were there to share our frustrations with regards to living with PPS and also with regards to the lack of support from the medical world we decided at that first meeting that we were not there to have a griping session! Our commitment from the start was to campaign to raise awareness of PPS and to act as a source of advice for new and existing members, other polio survivors and their families. Furthermore we were keen to campaign for a central “one stop shop” to provide treatment for PPS. In effect our aims and objectives were and still are; to give people who have had polio the most up-to-date information about Post Polio Syndrome, to inform medical professionals of best practice, to campaign for recognition of Post Polio Syndrome and to ensure the model of best practice and conservation of mobility is practiced.
In all of this we were very much supported and advised by the very helpful Dr Richard Bruno, a research and clinical psychophysiologist trained at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. In 1984 Bruno founded the International Post-Polio Task Force, which promotes PPS research, education and treatment in 25 countries. Dick Bruno had helped me hugely to write the “science” part of my book so it was natural to ask him to be the patron of the SPPN and we were delighted when he agreed and he has continued as patron of the organisation to this day.
The founding of the SPPN was exciting stuff and I loved being part of it all. However eventually I decided I could no longer remain on the committee –I needed to “walk my talk” and stop taking on too much –again! With family and my acupuncture practise commitments I needed to let go of all that I had helped to initiate and it was a wrench but it had to be done. Nevertheless I feel proud that the SPPN continues through the hard work of so many good people.
In 2005 the SPPN took its campaign to the Scottish Parliament where it became well supported for many years by the marvellous MSP Margo MacDonald until her death . She is sorely missed and no one has replaced her in our challenge to get better support for polio survivors in Scotland. Now with the Covid pandemic taking top priority I fear our voices will not be heard by those in power who could help. And as time goes by we survivors of polio are fewer. But on we go and every year the SPPN holds a conference (not this year due to Coronavirus!)to which many polio survivors come and hopefully they go away feeling advised, informed and supported. From the day when Billy, Agnes and I met together and decided we needed to do something to help ourselves, the SPPN has put information about PPS out there to help those experiencing the late effects of polio. It also informs medical professionals of best practice --some of whom were not even born when polio epidemics were around and thus need some input from us polio survivors! And thanks particularly to Hilary Ann Boone for being the link that connected me with other Scottish polio survivors all those years ago!
Vicki Mckenna is the author, as acupuncturist and polio survivor of “A Balanced Way of Living; Practical and Holistic strategies for Coping with PPS”.
To purchase a copy see www.postpolioinfo.com/balanced_way.
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Founding of the Scottish Post Polio Network - Vicki McKenna Experience
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Founding of the SPPN
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Vicki McKenna, Polio Survivors Network, Postpolioinfo.com
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Scottish Post Polio Network
SPPN
V McKenna
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https://www.poliosurvivorsnetwork.org.uk/library/files/original/c2ee3e42b79e11fa386f195faf903151.pdf
e0d991cd8e97dcd51c2493a131473145
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Copyright is retained by The Lincolnshire Post-Polio Network and/or original author(s). Permission is granted to print copies of individual articles for personal use provided they are printed in their entirety. Reproduction and redistribution of any articles via any media, with the exception of the aforementioned, requires permission from Polio Survivors Network and where applicable, the original author(s).
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POLIO OUTBREAKS 2023
Authored by Staff
Last reviewedMarch 12, 2023
Fact checked by Robert Carlson, MD
Fact checked by Holly Lutmer PharmD
CONTENT OVERVIEW
Poliovirus detection in Montreal, New York, London, Israel in wastewater continue in 2023. Polio
outbreak information is fact-checked by medical professionals.
Polio Outbreaks March 2023
Poliovirus (Poliomyelitis) has been recently confirmed in wastewater and ground samples in non-endemic
countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Canada, Europe, India, Israel, the United Kingdom, and New York (NY).
To notify the international community, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an
updated Global Polio Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions notice on March 7, 2023, regarding polio
outbreaks and poliovirus detections in various countries. As of March 10, 2023, the New York Department of
Health informed New Yorkers planning to visit Israel in 2023 and other countries with circulating poliovirus to
confirm their polio immunization status prior to traveling abroad.
On September 13, 2022, the U.S. was added to a list of about thirty countries where circulating vaccine-derived
poliovirus (cVDPV) was recently identified. On September 1, 2022, the CDC's Clinician Outreach and
Communication Activity Call presented: How to Recognize and Report Polio and Reinforce Routine Childhood
Polio Vaccination.
As of March 2, 2023, there has been 1 confirmed polio (acute flaccid paralysis) case and 7 reports of patients
under investigation in the U.S. (Washington) during 2023. There have been 723 confirmed polio cases in the U.S.
since August 2014. An interactive timeline traces polio outbreaks from 1580 B.C. to 2022.
WHO Polio Public Health Emergency of International Concern
2023
On February 2, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the spread of poliovirus remained a Public
Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) concerning Wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) and Circulating
vaccine-derived poliovirus and recommended the extension of Temporary Recommendations for three months.
This WHO issued a report (EB152/19, Dec. 2022) on implementing the Strategic Action Plan on Polio Vaccine
Transition (2018–2023). In addition, the polio-endemic countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan have been
associated with recent polio outbreaks in other countries, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative
(GPEI).
Poliovirus Wastewater Detections 2023
Related poliovirus type 2 (PV2) isolates were identified in sewage samples collected in Canada, London, Israel,
and New York in 2022. As a result, the U.S. CDC announced on November 30, 2022, that it
would expand wastewater testing in the U.S. Dr. José R. Romero, Director of CDC's National Center for
Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, indicated that poliovirus testing would continue into early 2023.
Poliovirus Detroit, Michigan
The U.S. CDC announced plans to collect wastewater samples in communities near Detroit, Michigan. Preliminary
testing will last at least four months. Oakland County, Michigan's population is about 1.2 million. On August 23,
2022, Michigan reported 31% of young children were overdue for routine vaccinations, including polio.
Poliovirus Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The U.S. CDC announced it would begin collecting wastewater samples from Chester County, with a population
of about 500,000 near Philadelphia, PA, for analysis at CDC's polio laboratory.
Poliovirus New York March 2023
As of March 8, 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State of New York
confirmed sequencing analysis confirmed the presence of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2)
in 100 samples collected genetically linked to a polio patient (Acute flaccid myelitis) identified in July 2022 in
Rockland County, NY, signaling its continued circulation and a health risk to residents.
To enhance local detections, the New York State Department of Health announced on January 23, 2023, that
it received $21.6 million in funding to expand its wastewater surveillance and infectious disease monitoring
capabilities. NY's wastewater network reaches all 62 New York counties and, during 2023, will increase the
number of participating sewer sheds from 125 to over 215, reaching 16 million New Yorkers, about 81% of the
population served by public sewer systems.
Beginning in April 2022, genetically related poliovirus has been detected in wastewater samples collected
in Rockland County, Orange County, Sullivan County, Nassau County, Brooklyn (Kings County), and Queens
County. On September 28, 2022, a 'Declaration of an Imminent Threat to Public Health for poliovirus' was issued
by Mary T. Bassett, M.D., M.P.H. Commissioner of Health, NY.
In response to these poliovirus wastewater findings, the Governor of NY, Kathy Hochul, announced on October 9,
2022, she extended Executive Order 21.1, expanding the vaccination authorities for certain NY health providers.
And New York State issued HEALTH ADVISORY Update #3 Regarding Poliovirus, which says unvaccinated New
Yorkers or those not up to date with immunizations who live, work, go to school in or visit Rockland County,
Orange County, New York City, Sullivan County, and Nassau County are at risk of contracting the paralytic
disease and should speak with their healthcare provider regarding polio vaccination options.
As of March 2023, the New York Health Department states that under specific situations, a one-lifetime booster
dose of IPV should be offered to adults who have previously completed their polio vaccination series and are at
the highest risk of infection. Areas considered to have community transmission of poliovirus include those where
poliovirus has been repeatedly detected in wastewater. As of January 27, 2023, polio booster doses are not
recommended for individuals traveling to the New York City metropolitan area, including Rockland, Orange, or
Sullivan Counties, merely because of their travel status.
Local polio vaccination resources: Nassau County, NY, webpage, New York City locations; Orange County,
NY, webpage, Rockland County, NY, areas, Sullivan County, NY, Public Health at 845-513-2249, and Cattaraugus
County, (NY) Public Health.
Polio in the Americas
As of March 2023, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) published AFP Surveillance Data segmented by
Country for 2022.
Poliovirus Montreal Canada
On December 23, 2022, the Canada IHR National Focal Point reported detecting a vaccine-derived poliovirus
type 2 (VDPV2) in various wastewater samples collected in August 2022 from a wastewater treatment plant and a
target site in the city of Montreal, Quebec. Genetic sequencing confirmed it was linked to the cVDPV2 recently
detected in New York. Additionally, in January 2023, two cVDPV2-positive environmental samples were collected
in Canada. As of January 30, 2023, there have been no confirmed or suspected cases of acute flaccid
paralysis (AFP) being investigated in the affected Canadian jurisdiction in 2022 - 2023.
Polio Israel 2023
As of March 10, 2023, Israel has been confirmed with both cVDPV2 and cVDPV3, and there is evidence of the
continued existence of poliovirus in the wastewater sewage of many localities. In early March
2023, JPost reported the Health Ministry announced that an unvaccinated child from the Safed region in Galilee
arrived at Ziv Medical Center and was found positive for (cVDPV2) acute flaccid paralysis (AFP). On March 2,
2023, the Times of Israel reported the Health Ministry confirmed three other children tested positive
for poliovirus.
Poliovirus London
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared a "national incident" in June 2022 after poliovirus detection
in sewage in London, England. Detection of 118 genetically linked poliovirus isolates related to the serotype 2
Sabin vaccine strain collected in 2022, reported The BMJ and The Lancet. In addition, vaccine-derived poliovirus
type 2 isolates environmental samples were found in several north and east London boroughs
that were genetically linked to a polio case reported in New York and Israel.
Acute Flaccid Myelitis Polio-Like Virus
The U.S. CDC reported on March 2, 2023, there has been one confirmed AFM case in 2023 out of 7 reports of
patients under investigation. AFM is an uncommon but serious neurologic condition caused by viruses,
including enteroviruses (EV-D68). It affects the nervous system, specifically the area of the spinal cord called gray
matter, which causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak.
During 2022, the CDC reported 43 confirmed AFM cases in 24 states, indicating about a 35% increase from 2021.
There have been 723 confirmed cases (children) since the CDC began tracking AFM in August 2014.
Acute Flaccid Paralysis
Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance is the standard for detecting cases of poliomyelitis in anyone under 15
years of age. For AFP surveillance standards, please visit the WHO-recommended surveillance standard
of poliomyelitis. Date of last update: 10/09/2022.
Post-Polio Syndrome
As polio survivors progress through life, a significant proportion develops neurological symptoms known as
Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS), says the U.S. NIH. Characterized by new, gradual, and progressive muscle weakness
and wasting, difficulty swallowing, joint or muscle pain, and general fatigue after being stable for many years, the
non-contagious PPS typically develops 15 to 40 years after people have recovered from polio.
The first medical reports of PPS appeared in France in 1875. Further research published in the 1950s identified
significant damage to nerve cells within the spinal cord. However, as the UK-based Polio Survivors
Network concludes, PPS has no set pattern of nerve damage. The U.S. CDC posts additional clinical and
diagnostic information about poliovirus infection as of August 10, 2022.
Poliovirus Shedding
The WHO, the UK Health Services Agency, the European CDC, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) say
three types of vaccines can prevent polio but they may indirectly enable virus shedding. However, research
demonstrates that poliovirus transmission predominantly follows the oral-fecal route. In addition,
concerns remain about the potential for persistent transmission of OPV viruses, as these viruses are known to
revert toward wild-type neurovirulence.
Polio Vaccines Approved
Polio is a vaccine-preventable disease, says the U.S. CDC. For the latest polio vaccine information, visit this
PrecisionVaccinations webpage.
Polio Outbreak News 2023
March 10, 2023 - New York issued a travel advisory for anyone visiting Israel.
February 23, 2023 - Wastewater sequencing analysis by the CDC confirmed the presence of poliovirus in a total
of 100 positive samples of concern in New York.
December 23, 2022 - Canada reported detections of VDPV2 in wastewater samples.
December 19, 2022 - The WHO announced polio had become a high-risk disease in Indonesia.
December 7, 2022 - The WHO reported 2.61 million under-five children were immunized with the trivalent oral
polio vaccine in Somalia.
November 30, 2022 - "Wastewater testing can be an important tool to help us understand if poliovirus may be
circulating in communities in certain circumstances," said Dr. José R. Romero, Director of CDC's National Center
for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "Vaccination remains the best way to prevent another case of
paralytic polio.
November 17, 2022 - The latest Annenberg Science Knowledge national panel survey finds that a sizable portion
of the U.S. public is unfamiliar with the risks of polio. Only a third of U.S. adults know there is no cure for polio,
and over 22% of adults do not know whether they've been vaccinated against polio.
October 27, 2022 - New York State Health Department issued a Polio Letter to Providers & Polio Publication
Request Form - Notification ID: 109528 - This is an urgent plea: as the most trusted source of medical guidance
for your patients and their families, we need your help to make sure that any child who is not vaccinated or up to
date with polio immunizations gets all the recommended doses immediately. This is particularly urgent for
providers and patients in Rockland, Orange, and Sullivan Counties, where poliovirus has been detected in
wastewater repeatedly.
October 19, 2022 - The UK Health Security Agency is investigating the extent of poliovirus transmission across
north-east and north-central London. Based on recent sampling, poliovirus is considered present in sub-areas of
the Beckton plant covering all or parts of the following London boroughs: Barnet, Brent, Camden, Enfield,
Hackney, Haringey, Islington, and Waltham Forest. The sampling has also detected the virus in lower
concentrations and frequency in areas adjacent to the Beckton catchment area to the South (immediately below
the Thames) and the East.
October 12, 2022 - The Lancet published: Sustained detection of type 2 poliovirus in London sewage between
February and July 2022. Interpretation: Environmental surveillance allowed early detection of poliovirus
importation and circulation in London, including whole-genome sequences generated through nanopore
sequencing, established linkage of isolates and confirmed transmission of a unique recombinant poliovirus
lineage that has now been detected in Israel and the USA.
October 9, 2022 - New York state extends and expands Executive Order 21.1 - Continuing the Declaration of a
Statewide Disaster Emergency Due to the Ongoing Spread of Polio in the State of New York.
September 28, 2022 - New York State Department of Health issued Advisory #3 regarding poliovirus detections.
It recommended polio-preventive vaccinations, and the Commission issued a Declaration of an Imminent
Threat to Public Health for poliovirus.
September 9, 2022 - NY State Health Department confirmed that of the 50 wastewater samples, 31 poliovirus
samples were collected in Rockland County, 13 in Orange County, 6 in Sullivan County, and 1 in Nassau County.
In response, NY's governor declared a State of Disaster Emergency.
September 2, 2022 - The UKHSA reported following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and
Immunisation that all children aged 1 to 9 years in London need to have a dose of polio vaccine now – whether
it's an extra booster dose or to catch up.
September 1, 2022 - The U.S. CDC is investigating a case of poliomyelitis, or paralytic polio, in New York state.
August 26, 2022 - The New York State Department of Health confirmed that sequencing analysis performed by
CDC has now detected poliovirus in four samples from Sullivan County, two collected in July and two collected in
August, which are genetically linked to the case of paralytic polio previously identified in Rockland County.
Already, poliovirus had been identified in samples collected in Rockland County, Orange County, and NYC, the
types of poliovirus that can cause paralysis in humans.
August 25, 2022 - The JAMA Network published a Perspective: What Physicians Need to Know About the Polio
Resurgence in New York State.
August 19, 2022 - New York Department of Health HEALTH ADVISORY: Update #2 Regarding Poliovirus in New
York State: All children, adolescents, and adults who are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated should be brought up
to date with all routine CDC-recommended IPV doses. This is particularly important and urgent if they live, work,
attend school, or have frequent social interactions with Rockland and Orange Counties communities.
August 19, 2022 - The U.S. CDC published: Public Health Response to a Case of Paralytic Poliomyelitis in an
Unvaccinated Person and Detection of Poliovirus in Wastewater — New York, June–August 2022. Twenty
specimens from wastewater samples collected during May, June, and July were genetically linked to viruses from
the patient's stool samples. This case highlights the risk of paralytic disease among unvaccinated persons.
August 17, 2022 - Long-Term Immunogenicity of Inactivated and Oral Polio Vaccines: An Italian Retrospective
Cohort Study. Protective antibodies against all three polioviruses persisted for at least 18 years after
administration of the last vaccine dose.
August 16, 2022 - The U.S. CDC issued an MMWR - Public Health Response to a Case of Paralytic Poliomyelitis in
an Unvaccinated Person and Detection of Poliovirus in Wastewater — New York, June–August 2022.
August 12, 2022 - Poliovirus Confirmed in NYC's wastewater by the New York State Department of Health. and
NYC Health issued: 2022 Health Alert #20: Update on Poliovirus in New York City.
August 4, 2022 - "Based on earlier polio outbreaks, New Yorkers should know that for every one case of paralytic
polio observed, there may be hundreds of other people infected," State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett
said. HEALTH ADVISORY #1: Update Regarding Poliomyelitis in Rockland County, New York State.
July 13, 2022 - Israel's Ministry of Health published updated polio vaccination guidelines #6.
July 3, 2022 - Israel's Operation Two Drops 2022 polio vaccine program reached over two million children.
April 2, 2022 - Israel reported potentially eight polio cases in 2022.
March 15, 2022 - The Israeli Ministry of Health, under guidance from the Consultant Committee on Poliovirus,
launched a nationwide vaccine operation, 'Two-Drops 2022,' for additional vaccination against polio for children.
1997 - Duration of Poliovirus Excretion and Its Implications for Acute Flaccid Paralysis Surveillance: A Review of
the Literature.
https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/polio-outbreaks-2023
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Polio Outbreaks 2023
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Poliovirus detection in Montreal, New York, London, Israel in wastewater continue in 2023. Polio outbreak information is fact-checked by medical professionals.
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www.precisionvaccinations.com
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www.precisionvaccinations.com
2023
facts
Israel
London
Montreal
New York
polio outbreak
precision vaccination
sewers
wastewater
worldwide