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WHAT IS POST POLIO SYNDROME

Post Polio Syndrome is a poorly understood condition that can affect people who have had polio in the past.

Polio is a viral infection that used to be common in the UK, but is now rare.

Most people who had Polio would have fought off the infection without even realising they were infected.

Some people with Polio would have had paralysis, muscle weakness and shrinking of the muscles. But usually, these problems would have either gone away over the following weeks or months, or remained the same for years afterwards.

Post Polio Syndrome is where some of these symptoms return or get worse many years or decades after the original polio infection.

SYMPTOMS OF POST POLIO SYNDROME

Post Polio Syndrome can include a wide range of symptoms that develop gradually over time, including:

persistent fatigue (extreme tiredness)
muscle weakness
shrinking muscles
muscle and joint pain
sleep apnoea

The condition can have a significant impact on everyday life, making it very difficult to get around and carry out certain tasks and activities. The symptoms tend to get gradually worse over many years, but this happens very slowly and treatment may help slow it down further.

Post Polio Syndrome is rarely life-threatening, although some people develop breathing and swallowing difficulties that can lead to serious problems, such as chest infections.

WHO'S AFFECTED

Post Polio Syndrome only affects people who've had polio. It usually develops 15 to 40 years after the infection.

The condition has become more common in the UK in recent years, because of the high number of Polio cases that occurred during the 1940s and 1950s, before routine vaccination was introduced. It's estimated that there are around 120,000 people living in the UK who survived Polio when they were younger. Some of these have, or will develop, Post Polio Syndrome.

It's not known exactly how many Polio survivors are or will be affected by Post Polio Syndrome. Estimates vary from as low as 15% to as high as 80%.

WHAT CAUSES POST-POLIO SYNDROME?

The exact cause of post Polio Syndrome is unclear. It's not known whether anything can be done to prevent it.

The leading theory is that it's the result of the gradual deterioration of nerve cells in the spinal cord (motor neurones) that were damaged by the Polio virus. This would explain why the condition can take years to appear.

Post Polio Syndrome isn't contagious. The theory that the Polio virus may lie dormant in your body, causing Post Polio Syndrome when it becomes reactivated at a later stage, has been disproven.

It's not clear why only some people who've had polio develop Post Polio Syndrome. Those who had severe Polio when they were younger may be more likely to develop the condition.

Contacts us: 0800 043 1935
Email us: info@britishpolio.org.uk

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Emergency alert to be sent to smartphones

The British Polio Fellowship
Sep 1
2 min read

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The UK government will be carrying out a nationwide test of its emergency alert system at 3:00pm on Sunday 7 September. During the test, compatible mobile phones will vibrate and emit a loud siren for 10 seconds, even if set to silent. A message will also appear on the screen.

These alerts are designed for life-threatening emergencies, such as extreme weather events or terror attacks.

Although the alert system has been trialled regionally five times, a nationwide test in 2023 revealed several technical problems. Some people received the alert too early, others not at all, and some got multiple notifications. Users on the Three network were especially affected. The government later confirmed that around 7% of compatible devices failed to receive the alert.

Those issues have been reviewed, and the new test aims to ensure the system now functions properly. It also hopes to familiarise the public with the alert process, as seen in other countries such as America and Japan.

Out of approximately 87 million mobile phones in the UK, only smartphones connected to 4G or 5G networks will receive the alert. Devices on 2G or 3G, or older phones, are not compatible. Phones must be switched on and not in airplane mode, but they don’t need to be connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi.

The emergency alert system has already been used in real incidents:

During Storm Eowyn in January 2025, 4.5 million alerts were sent in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
A month earlier, 3.5 million were sent during Storm Darragh in England and Wales.
The system also supported the evacuation of over 10,000 residents in Plymouth after a 500kg World War II bomb was discovered and safely detonated at sea.

While the government encourages people to keep emergency alerts enabled, it has published an opt-out guide for those in vulnerable situations.

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