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:
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persistent fatigue (extreme tiredness)
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muscle weakness
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shrinking muscles
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muscle and joint pain
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
RICHARD FLINT COMPETITION
The Richard Flint awards were invented through a very generous legacy left to the Fellowship by Richard Flint. It was his hope that the money would be used to encourage survivors of polio to embrace there artistic flare and allow it to flourish. Every year since we have run competitions in three categories (Art Photography and Poetry) for polio survivors. Each category has a 1st place prize of £250, 2nd place prize of £150 and a third place prize of £75.
PLEASE NOTE ENTRY FOR 2021 IS NOW CLOSED
Please send entries via email to:
or by post to
The British Polio Fellowship
CP House
Otterspool Way
Watford
WD25 8HR
Full details of the competition can be found here
The winners for 2021 are as follows...
Art
1st Place, Betty Brown
2nd Place, Cherry Evans
3rd Place, Frances Burrows
Photography
1st Place, Robert Barlow
2nd Place, John Oakley
3rd Place, Paul Oulton
Poetry
1st Place, Tewkesburys Noble Knight by Kenneth Powell
Oh noble Knight standing there in the cold
do you have a story that needs to be told
Standing there through day and night
waiting to ride headlong into the fight
with men like you that will never grow old
And Sir Knight their story will be told.
Look down Sir Knight upon your foe
with lance and shield make ready to fight
and with your sword put your enemy to flight
Oh noble Knight be strong and bold
And by us your story will be told.
Oh noble Knight standing there so tall
be strong as the oak that will not fall
and watch over the town and its folk
keeping us safe from the enemies yoke
And by us your story will be spoke.
Oh noble Knight standing there in
the cold be strong be brave and bold
because like us you will grow old
And by us your story will be told.
Oh noble Knight keep your head up
high and catch the passing travellers
eye watch over us by day and night
and protect us with all your might
Yes Sir Knight be strong and bold
And by us your story will always
be told
2nd Place, Elephants in Peril by Clare Potter
Tall and proud she stood alone
The smell of death was all around,
A rumble turned into a moan
Her precious calf not be found.
Around a bush her baby cried,
He had survived a poacher’s greed,
All his relatives had died
But now of his mother he had need.
They embraced and left that awful place
where death was not for them that day,
They ran and gathered speed apace
Making for somewhere far away.
Elephants will survive mankind’s fall
Because on Earth they’re meant to stay,
So if you want to exist at all
I suggest you live a different way.
3rd Place, The Best Days by Anne Gillanders
Our children’s children love to call
To climb a tree or scale a wall.
They like fresh baked drop scones for tea.
And love to sit or Grandad’s knee,
They chase and catch the butterflies
They study them with avid eyes
Or play for hours with matchbox toys — the ones their fathers had when boys.
And when sometimes they stay the night
Pyjama clad and tucked up tight,
We view them fast asleep in bed,
And dearly love each tousled head;
Each moment holds a memory
Of how our children used to be
Yes, they’re the brightest days of all
The days our children’s children call.
