World Polio Day 2021 – new Polio & Us

World Polio Day is marked on Sunday 24th October 2021. To mark the occasion, Polio Survivors Ireland is please to be launching the new edition of ‘Polio & Us’ – the personal stories of polio survivors in Ireland.

This book was originally published in 2007, being edited by the late Nuala Harnett and coordinated by Paula Lahiff, a member of Polio Survivors Ireland. As a legacy initiative and to ensure that the true impact of polio is not forgotten, the book has been given a refresh and reproduced just ahead of World Polio Day 2021.

World Polio Day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. There is no cure, but it is preventable with vaccination. Polio is now only endemic in two countries with Africa the most recent continent to be declared polio free.

The 5,000 polio survivors living in Ireland are not going through their first pandemic, many of them having lived through the epidemics of the 40s and 50s. They now live with the impact of polio, many with disabilities arising from the disease.

Polio survivors have overcome enormous adversity but still need help – as many as 40% of survivors will develop Post Polio Syndrome, a condition which causes new weakness, pain, fatigue, cold intolerance, and respiratory dysfunction.  Late Effects of Polio can cause arthritic changes in joints due to wear and tear or over-compensation, as well as sensitivity to the cold and osteoporosis among other issues.

Polio Survivors Ireland works to ensure that those who had polio, living in Ireland, can live out their lives with dignity. Late effects of polio can cause symptoms of sleep impairment, fatigue, new muscle weakness, muscle and joint pain, atrophy of muscle, cold intolerance, speech difficulties, difficulty swallowing, and respiratory dysfunction.

‘Polio & Us’ will be available for sale on the charity’s website in the coming weeks.