Polio (poliomyelitis or infantile paralysis) is now a disease that has virtually been forgotten by our community and health professionals. Although vaccination programs beginning in the late 1950s have prevented new infections in Australia, polio survivors form the largest single disability group in the country.
Between the 1930’s and 1960’s there were 40,000 cases of paralytic poliomyelitis recorded in Australia but real numbers of polio infection could be up to 100 times greater. This is because only 1 in 100 cases of poliomyelitis causes complete paralysis thereby requiring hospitalisation and mandatory reporting. However, a large percentage of the ‘non-paralytic’ and non-reported polio infections would still have caused considerable damage to the motor neurons. Professionals with first-hand experience of the disease have long since retired and there is an urgent and growing need for Australians to become re-acquainted with polio and its late effects.
Living with the Late Effects of Polio
Over the last twenty years much attention has been drawn to the development of new, previously unrecognised, symptoms which occur in people who were thought to have reached a stable level of recovery after the acute disease. Many polio survivors who have emerging symptoms still report difficulty in obtaining correct diagnosis and treatment. The large number of survivors who are now experiencing new symptoms has transformed the problem from an individual predicament to a social concern.
As time passes, an increasing number of previously ‘stable’ persons with a history of polio infection report unexpected new symptoms. The time lag from the initial infection to the second phase varies but is commonly approximately 30 years. The onset is usually slow and steady. It may occasionally develop suddenly and progress at an irregular pace. Symptoms sometimes emerge after a period of physical or emotional strain, or after a period of immobility i.e. disease or surgery.
Symptoms of the Late Effects of Polio can include
- unaccustomed fatigue unrelated to activity
- decreased strength and endurance
- pain in muscles and/or joints
- an inability to stay alert
- new muscle weakness and atrophy
- muscle and joint pain
- muscle spasms/twitching
- respiratory and sleep problems
- swallowing or speaking difficulties
- cold and/or heat intolerance
For more information on Polio and the Late Effects of Polio, please click here.