By Janet Whitworth
Guest Columnist
Oct. 24 is the date of the End Polio Now campaign, sponsored by Rotary International. Rotary has supported activity to stamp out polio worldwide for many years with backing from the Gates Foundation.
Vaccination remains important as long as the polio virus exists in the world. The goal to totally stamp it out is pretty close now, but not quite complete. There are still isolated new cases in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.
This campaign focuses not just on preventing the further spread of polio, but to put a face on the issue so you can talk to many survivors now living with post-polio syndrome (PPS). The World Health Organization estimates there are over 1 million survivors in the US, 15 million worldwide. As most polio survivors are 60 and above, a large percentage of polio survivors have died and new cases have not been diagnosed in the US since vaccination became available.
Researchers estimate that PPS affects as many as 80 percent of polio survivors.
Some of us remember the epidemics and fear in the 1950s. We were unsure about how the virus was being spread. People died and many were left disabled. The iron lung helped those with respiratory failure. Physical therapy was the main treatment and helped people regain muscle strength.
Although some polio survivors had visible disabilities that they learned to live with after recovery, others had no visible sign of disability. Fortunately when the vaccine was produced and widely distributed in 1955, new cases dropped dramatically.
Much later we heard about PPS. As many as 50 percent of polio survivors experienced new disabling symptoms of fatigue, muscle weakness, joint and muscle pain, cold intolerance, and difficulty sleeping, swallowing, and breathing about 40 years after their original bout with the disease.
It is suggested that the new sprouts that were generated to support damaged or destroyed muscle during the initial recovery may start to break down with overuse and strain as we age.
PPS not life-threatening but presents new unexpected challenges.
PPS requires polio survivors to use new assistive devices or aids they discarded years ago, like braces, canes, crutches, wheelchairs and scooters, as well as to just slow down and to rest during the day.
The advice for new muscle weakness is to stop doing activities and that cause pain and fatigue and care for the body. Light exercise with stretching is good to keep some muscle tone, but take it easy because new muscle sprouts cannot be generated a second time around.
Polio Outreach of Washington exists as a support group for polio survivors and their families. Mimi Sangder leads a group that meets for a pot-luck from noon to 2 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month at First Evangelistical Presbyterian Church, 19899 108th Ave. SE, Kent. It’s a very friendly and informal meeting where people can share with each other and discuss the latest information we have. New people are always very welcome.
If you wish to donate to “End Polio Now” please contact Rotary International online at https.www.rotary.org or mail donations to Rotary International, One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Ave, Evanston, Ill. and put Polio Plus in the subject line.
For a brief time, the Gates Foundation will TRIPLE all donations that are made to Rotary International’s Polio Plus Program.
Janet Whitworth is a member of Polio Outreach of Washington.
