These fact sheets are intended to give an overview of the British Polio Fellowship and of polio and Post Polio Syndrome.

If you are a healthcare professional or if you have polio we can provide more detailed information to suit your specific needs.

We are the largest UK charity dedicated to supporting people living in the UK who have polio and Post Polio Syndrome.

We were established in 1939 by people with polio, for people with polio. Since that time we have built a national organisation that has greatly changed the lives of many people with polio and Post Polio Syndrome.

We currently have around 8,000 members and an extensive network of Branches and Groups plus a Central Office, to support their continuing needs.

How do we support our members?

• We have over 50 Branches and Groups across the UK where members can meet.
• Our confidential national information service provides support and information on all issues relating to living with polio or Post Polio Syndrome.
• We provide welfare grants to help cover heating and mobility equipment costs.
• All members receive our magazine. Issued every two months, The Bulletin is packed with a wide range of topics from clinical information on polio and Post Polio Syndrome to light hearted articles on life in general.
• We provide holiday information and a holiday grant programme.
• The Welfare Network Project, funded by the Big Lottery, aims to expand our existing network of welfare volunteers.

Polio is an infectious disease caused by one of three polio viruses. In some cases the virus causes permanent muscle paralysis by destroying or damaging the nerve cells that control movement.

Tens of thousands of people who survived the polio epidemics of the first half of the 20th Century are still living in the UK. In fact, there are currently estimated to be 120,000 people living in the UK who have had polio.

Polio has now been eradicated in the UK because immunisation levels remain high but it is still possible to catch it in some overseas countries.

Some people who had polio are now experiencing new polio-related symptoms for which they need to seek help. Post Polio Syndrome (PPS) is a neurological condition that can occur in people who have had polio. After an interval of several years of stability, people may then develop increasing weakness, stamina problems, fatigue and pain. With the correct treatment further deterioration may be delayed, however, there is no cure.

Very few medical practitioners today have any training in how to diagnose and treat polio or Post Polio Syndrome correctly. Post Polio Syndrome has only recently been recognised as a long term condition and many people with polio themselves are unaware of its effects.

For more information see our pages on About polio & Vaccination and About Post Polio Syndrome