Remembering Australia’s Polio scourge – by Professor Joan McMeeken, University of Melbourne

The movie Breathe reminds us of the days when polio indiscriminately cut down the fit and healthy, so what was it like in Australia for those who contracted the disease?

Houses were fumigated, people quarantined, and entire families ostracised. Desperately worried parents resorted to hanging pungent camphor around their children’s necks in a misguided effort to ward off the virus and some fled to the mountains to escape.

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My Polio Story - Ron Blackwell

I contracted the Paralytic Polio at the age of 9 and I led a fairly regular sort of existence once I got back into mainstream after being in hospital and enjoyed pretty decent health. By the time I was in my 40s started to experience difficulties which resulted in depression – stemmed from frustration not being able to do what you think you should be able to do.

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