Polio Epidemics and Pandemics

Polio became very real to our family because my older sister was babysitting my best friend and her three little sisters one day because mom wasn`t feeling well. Turned out it was polio,and she ended up a paraplegic. Actually,I say "ended up" but I don`t really know what the final outcome was for her. They moved away probably within a year (Dad was a Navy doctor,so transfers were common.) Also,their house was accessible only by a flight of stairs-either from the garage to the kitchen or two shorter flights to the front door. Definitely not a disabled accessible house. Anyway,my parents were pretty freaked out that my sister may contract it.
 

Close friend of mine contracted polio when he was a young boy and he was in an iron lung for a while but recovered. Now he can barely walk from post polio syndrome but he didn't show signs of that until about 40 years ago.
 

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