POLIOMYELITIS – INTRODUCTION
Poliomyelitis is a sinister disease, yet on the whole quite brief. The polio virus is highly infectious and its virulent toxins, if concentrated, are able to attack and destroy the nerve cells, leading to paralysis. The illness itself ordinarily lasts only about 2-3 weeks. The paralysis that follows is actually the disease’s aftermath. It is therefore most important to treat the disease thoroughly and with the minimum of delay. Judging by the letters I keep receiving, it is once more necessary to remind lay people as well as professionals of the fundamental rules regarding the treatment of polio.
Some time ago, a man from central Switzerland told me that his son, a strong and healthy boy, was hospitalised for tests and observation because it was thought he might have polio. Day after day passed without the doctor in charge attempting any treatment, until the first signs of paralysis appeared in the lungs. The boy was then placed in an iron lung, but he died within a few weeks, despite having been so strong and healthy. Let me add that this incident occurred many years ago and would be most unlikely to happen with the modern approach to the disease.
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