Winter Newsletter 2018

Wow, what a great turn-out at the Late Effect of Polio (LEoP) Information
Session at the Tea Tree Gully City Library. There were over 120 members,
friends and most importantly new members in the meeting; listening to Paul
Cavendish tell us all about our life with the LEoP.
Paul was able to cover a very broad range of subjects, at least some of
which affect all of us Post Polios. Discussing how ageing and LEoP can be
a very debilitating combination, but how with help and information from Polio
Australia and Polio SA improvements in lifestyle are possible. All in all, a very
successful afternoon. I must extend my gratitude to all Committee Members
of Polio SA for conducting this information session in a professional way and
apologise for my lack of attendance, thank you all.
While speaking about successful functions I would like to remind you all that
the Polio Australia Wellness Retreat will be held from the 11th-14th October
2018 in the Stamford Grand Hotel in Glenelg. As part of the program a “Walk
With Me” event will be held on Thursday 11th October at 3:00pm and finish at
approximately 5:00pm, we will be walking along the Glenelg Foreshore. We
will be looking for sponsors and walkers to take part in this event, if you are
interested please contact me. Every little bit you can do will help make this
another successful occasion for Polio Survivors in South Australia.

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Polio Health and Wellness Retreat 2018 – Expressions of Interest

Polio Australia will once again be facilitating its 4 day / 3 night Polio Health and Wellness Retreat for polio survivors and their partners/family members from Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 October, 2018 in beautiful Glenelg, South Australia. The holistic ‘Body / Mind / Spirit’ theme will continue and may include sessions such as:

• Interactive group sessions and one-to-one consultation opportunities with a variety of allied health professionals

• Hydrotherapy and exercise options

• Latest orthotics, aids and equipment displays

• Seated Yoga and Meditation Sessions

• Activities To Keep The Mind Active

• Creative Workshops

See details of previous retreats at www.polioaustralia.org.au/retreat-2017/

If you are interested in the event please email office@polioaustralia.org.au with your name, address and telephone number.

Approx. cost of registration fees for 3 nights accommodation, all meals and most activities $450 pp double and twin / $500 single.  Mix of ocean-view and mountain-view rooms available. All fees yet to be confirmed.

Walk With Me Fundraiser October 2018

There are an estimated 400,000 polio survivors in Australia. Many are now experiencing the Late Effects of Polio (LEoP) and struggling to access appropriate health care and support. Polio Austrlaia’s “Walk With Me” event aims to raise awareness about the LEoP and fundraising efforts will allow us to continue to support polio survivors and provide education to health professionals.

WHEN: Thursday, 11th October 2018

ASSEMBLE: 3:00pm – Between Moseley Square and Glenelg Pier

WALK: 3.30 pm – A relaxed 1km walk or wheel in the sunshine, along the beautiful Glenelg beach esplanade.

DONATE HERE.  Whether or not you are walking on the day, please donate (donations for this event will be accepted until 31 December 2018).

Hundreds Of People Attend Late Effects of Polio Information Session

A wealth of information about the physiological and psychosocial experiences of polio survivors later in life, and available supports and strategies, was shared at a free, public information session on the afternoon of Saturday 12 May in Adelaide.

‘The Late Effects of Polio’, hosted by Polio Australia’s NSW Clinical Health Educator, exercise physiologist Paul Cavendish, was held at Tea Tree Gully Library and attended by more than 120 people.  As well as the expertise being shared during the presentations, many enjoyed the chance to meet with fellow members of the polio survivor community, and chat over a cup of tea.

We all know that the late effects of polio (LEoP) can include pain, muscle weakness, post-exercise fatigue, cramps, joint pain, and heat and cold intolerance. In addition, the revival of upsetting childhood memories relating to the disease, a sense of losing independence, and the prospect of returning to rehabilitation, can all have negative psychological impacts. LEoP affects up to 40% of polio survivors.

Compounding these factors is that some medical practitioners have limited understanding of LEoP, attributing these symptoms to simply ageing. Providing polio survivors with information about LEoP and the supports available to them within the medical system, and empowering them to share this knowledge with their medical team, was a key objective of this session.

Mr Cavendish highlighted the benefits of learning to navigate the health system to identify potential avenues of support. “Seeking assistance can be challenging,” he said, “but medical professionals have knowledge and skills that can help.”

These avenues include:

• The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – those under 65 years should register

• Aged care funding / My Aged Care – those over 65 years should register

• Private health insurance – ask your fund what is available

• GP Management Plans, including the Chronic Disease Management Plan and Mental Health Care Plan – funded by Medicare, these plans are coordinated by your GP so you can see other health professionals at a subsidised rate

• Rehabilitation physician interventions such as assessments of secondary medical conditions and management of conditions such as pain and fatigue in liaison with the GPs

• The Department of Veterans’ Affairs

• Orthotists who provide more specialised treatment than podiatrists

• Dietitians for healthy weight management – extra weight means extra force needed for mobility, which puts extra strain on muscles

• Speech pathologists for speech and swallowing difficulties

• Occupational therapists for strategies to manage fatigue, considering planning, pacing and prioritising what you do with your day, and practising good sleep hygiene

• Aids and equipment.

Pain management, respiratory issues, musculoskeletal health, and orthopaedic management (including anaesthetic sensitivities) are also common medical considerations for those living with LEoP that can be improved with the support of an informed medical team who are prepared to identify suitable new methods and strategies.

Attendees were encouraged to explore the Health Professionals Register, compiled by Polio Australia and accessible on its website, to locate health professionals who are experienced in and informed about treating polio survivors.

“Plan ahead and future-proof your life,” said Mr Cavendish, “even if you feel you don’t need this support now.”

Dr Nigel Quadros, Senior Medical Staff Specialist from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, also presented during the session. He is currently undertaking a longitudinal research study, Understanding the ‘polio survivor’ and promoting healthy ageing, with his fellow principal investigators Dr Kandiah Umapathysivam (Dr Sivam) from the University of Adelaide, and Dr Anupam Datta Gupta from the QEH.

The study is non-invasive, measuring loss of muscle mass, strength and function of polio survivors aged over 65 years, on an annual basis. It is aimed at promoting understanding among the health professional community about the situation of polio survivors, and where necessary, develop models of care to assist polio survivors to age healthily.

This study will form the basis for the establishment a comprehensive registry of polio survivors, monitor their general health and medical status in a dedicated clinic to be established at The Queen Health Hospital.

Dr Quadros told the session that the key aspects of physical ageing experienced to greater extents by polio survivors compared to the general population, sarcopenia and frailty can be reduced by the right exercise plan, good nutrition, and falls prevention. Medication has been trialled but has not yet been proven effective.

To enquire about Dr Quadros’ study, please telephone (08) 8222 7322 or email nigel.quadros@sa.gov.au

Attendees were invited to ask questions of the presenters. These covered topics as diverse as non-disclosure of polio survival status to medical professionals, fatigue after exercise, lack of symptoms of LEoP in later life, medications that are contraindicated for polio survivors, and negotiating with medical teams about the level and type of anaesthetic provided during surgery.  Attendees also took the opportunity to become members of Polio SA and take advantage of the $15 membership, accessing free weekly hydrotherapy (valued at $50 per week) and 12 free massage session (valued at $40 each).  If you were unable to attend or attended but didn’t complete a form, you can become a member here.

The session presented a valuable opportunity for polio survivors to come together and share experiences and information with each other and the presenters, in the hope of improved outcomes for those living with LEoP. “You are all resourceful, independent people – but please don’t under-emphasise the situation,” Mr Cavendish concluded. “Find out what supports are available to you.”

Summary of Anaesthesia Issues For The Post-Polio Patient by Selma H. Calmes

Selma H. Calmes is MD, Chairman and Professor, (retired) Department of Anesthesiology, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Sylmar, California.

Article first published http://post-polio.org/edu/hpros/sum-anes.html

Polio results in widespread neural changes, not just destruction of the spinal cord anterior horn (motor nerve) cells, and these changes get worse as patients age. These anatomic changes affect many aspects of anesthesia care. No study of polio patients having anesthesia has been done. These recommendations are based on extensive review of the current literature and clinical experience with these patients. They may need to be adjusted for a particular patient.

1. Post-polio patients are nearly always very sensitive to sedative meds, and emergence can be prolonged. This is probably due to central neuronal changes, especially in the Reticular Activating System, from the original disease.

2. Non-depolarizing muscle relaxants cause a greater degree of block for a longer period of time in post-polio patients. The current recommendation is to start with half the usual dose of whatever you’re using, adding more as needed. This is because the poliovirus actually lived at the neuromuscular junctions during the original disease, and there are extensive anatomic changes there, even in seemingly normal muscles, which make for greater sensitivity to relaxants. Also, many patients have a significant decrease in total muscle mass. Neuromuscular monitoring intraop helps prevent overdose of muscle relaxants. Overdose has been a frequent problem.

3. Succinylcholine often causes severe, generalized muscle pain postop. It’s useful if this can be avoided, if possible.

4. Postop pain is often a significant issue. The anatomic changes from the original disease can affect pain pathways due to “spill-over” of the inflammatory response. Spinal cord “wind-up” of pain signals seems to occur. Proactive, multi-modal post-op pain control (local anesthesia at the incision plus PCA, etc.) helps.

5. The autonomic nervous system is often dysfunctional, again due to anatomic changes from the original disease (the inflammation and scarring in the anterior horn “spills over” to the intermediolateral column, where sympathetic nerves travel). This can cause gastro-esophageal reflux, tachyarrhythmias and, sometimes, difficulty maintaining BP when anesthetics are given.

6. Patients who use ventilators often have worsening of ventilatory function postop, and some patients who did not need ventilation have had to go onto a ventilator (including long-term use) postop. It’s useful to get at least a VC preop, and full pulmonary function studies may be helpful. One group that should all have preop PFTs is those who were in iron lungs. The marker for real difficulty is thought to be a VC <1.0 liter. Such a patient needs good pulmonary preparation preop and a plan for postop ventilatory support. Another ventilation risk is obstructive sleep apnea in the postop period. Many post-polios are turning out to have significant sleep apnea due to new weakness in their upper airway muscles as they age.

7. Laryngeal and swallowing problems due to muscle weakness are being recognized more often. Many patients have at least one paralyzed cord, and several cases of bilateral cord paralysis have occurred postop, after intubation or upper extremity blocks. ENT evaluation of the upper airway in suspicious patients would be useful.

8. Positioning can be difficult due to body asymmetry. Affected limbs are osteopenic and can be easily fractured during positioning for surgery. There seems to be greater risk for peripheral nerve damage (includes brachial plexus) during long cases, probably because nerves are not normal and also because peripheral nerves may be unprotected by the usual muscle mass or tendons.

For more info: Review “Postpolio Syndrome and Anesthesia” by David A. Lambert, MD; Elenis Giannouli, MD; & Brian J. Schmidt, MD, The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, in the September 2005 issue of Anesthesiology (Vol. 103, No. 3, pp 638-644). This article reviews polio, postpolio syndrome and anesthetic considerations for this patient population.

How A House Sale Sign Helped Me Play Golf

I was stricken with infantile paralysis (polio) at the age of two and had my last tendon stretching operation at about eleven, after that I tried to forget about it and get on with my life.

About five years ago I started to collapse forward and realized that the time had arrived when I needed some support in walking. I first paid for a brace to be made for me but it was not successful, so decided to have a go at making one myself. This, of course was all new to me so it was a matter of starting from scratch.

My first attempt was made from an old metal “House Sale” sign. When finished and painted black it looked terrific and was a tremendous help in walking. Unfortunately it suffered constantly from metal fatigue and became heavier with the required additional strengthening. So I arranged for another brace to be made for me from another source, however I was I informed it would take some time because they were very busy and short staffed. So in the mean time I continued to refine and use my home made brace. The result after quite a number of modifications was, I thought, quite good. It weighs around a kilo and is now constructed of stainless steel. I made the knee joint adjustable so that I could keep the angle up to just behind the falling forward stage. The lower pressure pad is behind the non-existent calf muscles and the pad above the knee is at the front of the barely existent thigh muscles. I drilled holes in the pads to vent the heat and lighten them, and also pivoted them in the centre so they maintained even pressure over the whole area. I had found that when they were in a fixed position it was extremely hard to stop pressure being exerted on the top or bottom of the pad. I can honestly say that in the years I wore it I never had a pressure sore, and that includes playing eighteen holes of golf each week. The ankle joint is flexible and the foot section fits all of the shoes I wear, including my golf shoes. The main problems were still maintenance issues due to my lack of understanding of the materials used, lack of access to suitable screws and fittings, and my constant effort to reduce the weight which contributed to a few structural failures along the way. One little refinement I am very proud of is my guard over the knee joint to stop my trousers being caught in it and being ruined when walking and sitting.

The new brace being made for me was finally completed after three years so I changed over to that and I have been using it now for a number of months. It is extremely well made and is constructed from the new materials available and moulded on a cast of my leg.

I suppose one needs to actually wear a brace for some time to really understand the problems that are faced, and I found that I needed to make a few changes to it to improve its comfort and usability. I have no criticism at all of the makers, it seems a very well-constructed item, but I think that the positioning of the top pad on the back of the leg is not as comfortable for me and doesn’t allow the knee to fully bend to the squatting posit ion. It can also give the wearer a painful pinch on the back of the leg when sit ting on a chair. The fixed pads also make it hard to avoid pressure points and I have had to put extra padding in a number of places. There wasn’t any adjustment at the knee joint so I inserted wedges to stop the knee going back too far, and also a guard to stop my trousers being pinched. I didn’t take it back to the manufacturer for alteration because they are so busy with more worthwhile cases and my wacky ideas might seem a slight on their achievement. They were very helpful when I was making my own brace, so I am extremely grateful to them.

My old brace is at present in pieces on the work bench awaiting more modifications. Because my leg has shrunk even more I am considering constructing a standard brace with straighter side struts that are adjustable between knee and ankle. The pads will still be free floating and will be moulded to the shape of the leg. This means that when my leg shrinks even more I only have to modify the pad and not have the whole brace remade. I enjoy tinkering in my workshop, but with many other interests it may take some time to get around to the modifications. I also read about new innovations, such as robotic contraptions coming on to the market! And dream that one day I will be able to try one and compete in a Marathon! Of course, at seventy eight this is very much wishful thinking, but it doesn’t hurt to dream does it.

I hope other brace wearers find my article of interest.

Graham Daish

Autumn Newsletter 2018

Last Wednesday I was lucky enough to spend the day with Mary-ann Liethof,
Rachel Ingram and Paul Cavendish from Polio Australia. They were in
Adelaide for a preliminary visit to venues for the proposed Polio Australia
Health and Wellness Retreat. It will be based at the Stamford Grand in
Glenelg from Thursday 11 October until Sunday 14 October 2018. Please
look for the expression of interest form inside this newsletter for all the details.
The completed form should be returned to Polio Australia Office, PO Box
500, Kew East, Vic 3102. Please get in early as there are a limited number of
vacancies.
As you may already know Polio Australia successfully obtained a grant from
the Federal Department of Health to run Clinical Practice Workshops for
Health Professionals on treating and managing the Late Effects of Polio.
South Australia will be the focus in early to mid-May this year. In conjunction
with these workshops; Polio Australia’s Clinical Health Educator, Paul
Cavendish, will be presenting an Information Session for Polio survivors
providing self-management tips, including breaking down the latest research
on managing the Late Effects of Polio. This is pencilled in to take place on
Saturday May 12 2018 in the meeting rooms adjacent to the Tea Tree Gully
City Library, 571 Montague Road, Modbury, SA 5092. More details will follow,
including confirmation of the date.
On the 21 of February I will have the honour of presenting a Polio Australia
plaque to one of our long time Parliamentary Friends the Hon. Steve
Georganas MP. This presentation was supposed to happen at the Polio
Australia’s AGM in November, however the MPs had vacated Canberra at
that time. So as a member of the Board from South Australia, I was asked to
make the presentation on behalf of the Board. I will upload th e photos to the
Polio SA website and Facebook page.

Download the newsletter

Brett Howard, President, Polio SA
bihoward@bigpond.com | 0403 339 814

The Late Effects of Polio FREE Information Session

You are invited to attend a free information session at 1pm on the 12th May at Tea Tree Gully Community Learning Centre hosted by Polio Australia.

Polio: It’s not all over

Polio Australia’s Clinical Health Educator, Paul Cavendish, will present information on the latest research regarding managing the Late Effects of Polio.

Chronic Illness with a difference

Learn what makes the Late Effects of Polio different from the ageing process?

How to work with your health professionals

What is the key information to provide to your health professional? Receive tips on how you can guide them to treat you more effectively.

Self-management strategies

Proven strategies to help you maintain function and independence.  Including identifying the clinical signs of overdoing it and learn how to manage fatigue and activity.

Clinical Practice Workshops

Find out more on Polio Australia’s largest initiative to train health professionals on the Late Effects of Polio.

An opportunity to discuss Post-Polio health

Q&A session, your opportunity to ask any questions that have not been addressed.

After the session catch up over a coffee or tea to learn, or share some insights with fellow Polio survivors.

Register here

Location & Time

Tea Tree Gully Community Learning Centre

571 Montague Road, Modbury, 5092

12th May 2018   1:00pm — 4:00pm

Click here to get directions

If you have any questions please contact either:

Paul from Polio Australia  paul@polioaustrlaia.org.au | 0466 719 013

or

Brett from Polio SA bihoward@bigpond.com | 0403 339 814

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.
This was the small town of Railton in Tasmania during the worst outbreak of polio in Australia in 1937. For more than half a century, through to the 1950s, Australians were periodically terrified by recurrent epidemics of polio that could potentially leave its victims paralysed, sometimes permanently.

Hospital wards filled up with paralysed victims bandaged into splints and families built special carts to move around their stricken children.

At its worst, victims would be left reliant on artificial respiration for the rest of their lives. It wasn’t until the 1950s that an effective vaccine was developed that would eventually eradicate the disease in developed countries; it’s estimated that 20,000-40,000 Australians developed paralytic polio between 1930 and 1988.

The release of the movie Breathe, the inspirational true story of Englishman Robin Cavendish’s battle with paralytic polio, is a reminder of a disease that was nothing short of a scourge.
But today it is almost forgotten, except by those whose lives were and remain directly affected.

Polio Australia estimates that Australia has some 400,000 polio survivors. But in recent years adults who suffered minor illnesses or had mild muscle weakness during the earlier epidemics are now also suffering Post-Polio Syndrome with unanticipated muscle weakness and atrophy.

As a physiotherapist who began working with polio victims, the film is a reminder of the long legacy of polio, the ongoing role of rehabilitation and the crucial role of vaccination in finally tackling the disease.

My mother, Freda Kimpton, graduated as a physiotherapist at the end of 1937, at the peak of the largest epidemic. She immediately joined the Royal Children’s Hospital domiciliary service, treating children in North Melbourne, Carlton and Footscray.

It was women like my mother who devoted much of their professional lives to people who had been paralysed by polio.

Twenty years later, as a physiotherapy assistant in the summer holidays from 1957 to 1962 at Fairfield Hospital, I helped the physiotherapists in mobilising joints, stretching and exercising muscles, making plaster splints and abdominal corsets. Breathe rekindled the memories of those years, particularly of Fairfield’s respirator ward and the people in its ‘iron lungs’.

Polio is caused by an enterovirus. It is contracted orally through infected faecal matter, such as on someone’s hands or an object, and is contagious during the incubation and acute phases. If polio affects the central nervous system it can lead to paralysis and the subsequent atrophy of muscles, ending in contractures (the permanent shortening of a muscle or joint) and permanent deformity.

People who survived the acute stage with paralysis faced years of rehabilitation. In most cases patients used respirators for only a short time, but others like Australian June Middleton, who contracted polio as a young, active woman of twenty-three, remained in an ‘iron lung’. When I first met her, June had lived in her ‘iron lung’ for fourteen years – she died at the age of 83, the world’s longest surviving person living with polio in a respirator.

An iron lung is a large, elongated sealed cabinet enclosing the patient up to the neck. It requires a mechanical pump to produce negative pressure which replaces the action of the respiratory muscles during breathing in. When the negative pressure is released, the patient breathes out.

The story of Tasmanian Rebecca Round is emblematic of the hardship and determination of Australians forced to live with the impact of polio.

Rebecca grew up on a farm near Railton and contracted polio in the 1937 outbreak, aged just seven. Her twelve-year-old sister and two cousins also contracted the disease. One friend died and another was left badly paralysed.

The children were hospitalised and put into Thomas splints, which maintains the joints of the lower limbs in a comfortable position. The process sees patients bandaged in at ankles, knees, hips and waist. An upper body and head piece keeps the arm joints in neutral positions and if neck muscles are involved in paralysis, the head is ‘blinkered’. Hospitals created long balcony wards and open wards that allowed children to enjoy fresh air and sunshine.

Rebecca Round spent three years in hospital in Launceston. Adults with paralysis spent up to two years in hospital, but for growing children it was often longer.

Rebecca’s mother rode her push bike along the gravel road the 56 miles (90km) to and from Launceston every Sunday as hospitals only allowed parents to visit children on the weekend. But there were opportunities to play – for example, children confined at Frankston Orthopedic Hospital were taken to the hospital’s beach.

When she eventually left hospital, Rebecca wore calipers. Although her left leg and foot and left arm were weaker than the right, she learned to ride a bike again. Boots made especially for her cost her father two weeks’ wages, and at age twelve she had surgery to lengthen the shortened tendons to her foot.

But she was determined to go to school, and did well, ultimately earning a university scholarship to go to Hobart and train as a teacher.

But not all patients could go home due to more severe problems, particularly with breathing or widespread paralysis.

These days, most children are vaccinated against polio before school age and this has seen the disease nearly completely disappear in most westernised countries. But in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Equatorial Guinea, Iraq, Cameroon, Syria, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, polio still paralyses and kills. In fact, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported twenty-one cases in 2017.

In the end, Robin Cavendish died in 1994, at the age of 64, after he was awarded an MBE for his work with the disabled. Despite his prognosis, he defied doctors’ predictions that his life would be a short one outside of a hospital.

Breathe also serves as a reminder of the importance of vaccination; because almost the entire population must be immunised to prevent epidemics, global eradication is still in jeopardy, and an effective cure remains elusive.

This article was published online on 18 January 2018 in pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/health-wellbeing

Polio virus discovered at Melbourne sewerage plant – by Aisha Dow (The Age)

The polio virus has been detected in Melbourne’s sewerage system, prompting health authorities to issue a warning about the importance of vaccinations.

The childhood disease once killed or paralysed thousands of young people each year, but a global effort to eradicate the virus has all but wiped it out.

Polio virus has been detected at the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee. Photo: Jason South

On Friday, Victoria’s acting chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton announced polio had been detected in tiny concentrations as part of routine testing of pre-treated sewerage at the Western Treatment Plant in Melbourne.
However he said the discovery did not necessarily mean someone had polio.

Children receive free polio vaccines in Australia. Photo: Supplied

Dr Sutton said it was more likely that the polio virus came from a person who had received live polio vaccine when travelling or living overseas, and had continued to excrete it since arriving in Victoria.
Oral polio vaccines — administered in some countries — contain a weakened live virus and work by activating the immune response in the body, but have not been used in Australia for more than a decade.
In areas where there is poor sanitation, there is a risk people can acquire polio through the excreted vaccine.
An inactivate polio vaccine is used in Australia, which means it cannot multiply in a person, is not found in the bowel or sewage and cannot cause polio disease.

A health worker gives a polio vaccine to a girl in Lahore, Pakistan, where children continue to be infected. Photo: Muhammad Sajjad/AP

Dr Sutton said there was an extremely low risk that anyone in Victoria would have become infected as a result of the virus detected in sewerage.
“Firstly, polio virus usually doesn’t cause illness even when infection occurs. Secondly, this polio virus was found at concentrations that do not cause infection. Finally, Australia has very high immunisation coverage and excellent sanitation infrastructure that prevents people being exposed to sewage,” Dr Sutton said.
“There are currently no cases of polio in Australia. The last case of polio was in 2007 in a traveller who acquired the infection in Pakistan. Victoria hasn’t had a locally acquired case since the 1970s.”

A little girl receives a polio vaccine at Broadmeadows Town Hall in 1968.

Worldwide, polio cases have decreased by more than 99 per cent since 1988 – from more than 350,000 to just 37 reported cases in 2016. Countries where the virus persists include Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
Some older Australians, aged in their fifties or above, still live with disability as a result of contacting polio as children. Polio survivors are said to be Australia’s largest physical disability group.
The rate of polio vaccination in Victoria is now above 95 per cent for children aged five years or older.
The National Immunisation Program provides a free polio vaccine at two, four and six months of age. A booster dose is provided at 4 years of age.
Also, from July 2017 everyone up to 19 years, refugees and humanitarian entrants have been eligible to receive three doses of polio vaccine as part of catch-up arrangements.
Dr Sutton said this high level of immunisation made any risk of polio occurring in Victoria extremely low, but the positive test was a reminder for people to make sure their immunisations were up to date.

Further information on polio can be found here