Polio

Polio Epidemics and Public Health.

In the 1940s poliomyelitis (also known as infantile paralysis or polio) epidemics continued to be a scourge. Young children were the most susceptible to this virus-borne disease. Parents were terrified when their youngsters complained of headaches, sore throats, and fever, fearing these symptoms foretold the onset of the dreaded disease. Most instances of contact with the viruses resulted in only mild symptoms and complete recovery in one to three days. But if polio invaded the nervous system, about 25 percent of the patients suffered mild disabilities, and another 25 percent sustained severe permanent disability, such as paralysis of the arms and legs. If paralysis developed in the muscles of their throats, death from polio became a terrifying possibility.

Summer Epidemics.

In addition to being the most susceptible, children were also the most effective spreaders of this highly...

[The entire page is 841 words long]

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