jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

All those people who think we are living in a simulation might be onto something, and the programmer is a sadist.

Polio is the latest worry. Ney York is urging everyone who has not been vaccinated for polio to get the shot(s) right away. The polio virus was discovered in two NY counties: Rockland and Orange. Those two counties are the home base for antivaxxers. They have the lowest overall vaccinate rate in NY State. There is one confirmed, paralyzed case of polio in one of those counties. The worry is that polio is a virus, and it spreads very easily - through touch, for example. There is no cure - only prevention. The state estimates that hundreds of people could now be carrying the virus. Some will not have symptoms; some will get sick; some will become paralyzed.

It's nice having "Freedom," but when your freedom allows you to spread a paralyzing disease, that's freedom gone too far.

A few months ago, the polio virus was discovered in wastewater in London. They think this was probably from people who received the oral vaccine in a foreign country. That's different from the vaccine given here. I don't know why other countries continue to use the oral vaccine because the disease can be spread that way.

If you don't know much about polio, a search will shock you. Polio caused widespread fear in the 1940s before vaccines were available. The virus disabled more than 35,000 people every year during that time, according to the CDC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/04/polio-wastewater-samples-outside-new-york-city-suggest-community-spread.html

Humanity: Committing suicide by stupidity.

gmontjr2350 Loc: Southern NJ

Polio was a very real threat into 1950s here in the U.S. My wife recalls being forbidden to use the public swimming pools in her Northeastern PA hometown, as they were a hotbed of polio spread.
There are a number of rights bandied about lately that seem to ignore the effects upon society.

George

Triple G

Anti-vaxxers are dangerous.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Definitely. Polio was declared "dead" in 1979. Now it's back. Unfortunately, some people are going to say, "It's a conspiracy to control us. Polio is fake. Don't be so afraid." They said the same thing about Covid, and look how that turned out.

therwol Loc: USA

The oral vaccine was effective, but it uses a live virus that can mutate, become virulent and cause the disease. There were documented cases of this. I don't know why anyone still uses it. I don't know why anyone still makes it.

By the way, in the late 1970s, I worked at a rehab hospital in San Leandro, CA. There was still one patient in an "iron lung" at that time. the last of many at that hospital.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I think there is just one person still in an iron lung.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I wonder how many of "today's" people were never vaccinated against Polio.....

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I have no idea how the whole vaccination system works. I know that kids no longer get the smallpox vaccine.

Yes.

IPV Immunization Schedule
Children usually get the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) at ages 2 months, 4 months, 6–18 months, and 4–6 years.

therwol Loc: USA

Here is the entire recommended vaccination schedule through age 18. Polio is included. I think it's fair to say that most people have their kids vaccinated. If they do not, it's the kids who may suffer the consequences. That's what happened in that case in New York.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

pendennis

In 1952 I contracted a "mild" case of polio, but I likely infected my aunt who had visited us from rural Kentucky. She had a catastrophic case, but survived until 1997, despite being a quadraplegic and requiring respiration assistance. She used an iron lung, various models of chest respirators, and finally a ventilator via tracheostomy. And polio never really goes away from those who have had it. Post-polio Syndrome causes a recurrence of some of the original symptoms, including renewed muscle weakness.

Polio is an RNA virus, like COVID and influenza. It replicates quickly but very inefficiently, with about 10% success. Small Pox is a more complex DNA virus, so comparisons are not really germane.

Polio research was largely curbed in the 1920's because of the concentration on influenza, which was far deadlier. Polio was thought to exist largely in cities, and epidemics were commonplace because of the great migration from farms to urban areas. While FDR was a major spokesman for the March of Dimes, it's now believed that he likely suffered from Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which mimics polio in some respects.

The Salk vaccine was approved largely because it came from a dead virus; Sabin from a live virus. It was greatly feared that a live virus vaccine could turn out to be a catastrophic occurrence. It wasn't until around 1960 that the NIH and CDC felt the Sabin vaccine was safe.

Polio viruses never "go away". Those who declared polio "dead" were likely whistling "Dixie".

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

It took my wife and 10yrs to get our youngest daughter vaccinated against small pox 40+ yrs ago, finally a Doctor a a local children's hospital vaccinated her.
After the vaccination an eruption on her cheek that started when she was just a few weeks old( we thought it was a spider bite at the time) didn't appear as often and now it just shows as a red spot, she treats it with a cream ointment!

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

In the mid-50's it was customary for my cousins to flee the city for the summer, and work on my Uncle's dairy farm in New Hampshire. It was almost a rite of passage and although we worked, we all looked at it as a vacation. We never knew why but our parents who grew up with polio wanted all their children in a safer environment for the summer and the farm was the best option. By the time I was 14 (first year you would be eligible for the vacation) the vaccine had been invented and we were treated but I was still able to go there for the summer.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

I'm old enough to have had both oral and needle vaccines, safe?

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Oral vaccine is cheaper than injectable, is easier to administer in mass settings, and provides very good immunity. So it is still used in rural immunization drives in many countries. However - as stated, it may mutate into a wild strain and actually cause illness. Also, being a live virus vaccine, it should not be given to anyone who is immunocompromised or who lives with an immunocompromised person.

Polio is a virus that has no non-human vectors - it does not live in other animals. So the goal was to vaccinate everyone on the planet and therefore eradicate the disease entirely - like we did with smallpox. Wars, mass migrations, other civil disturbances, and vaccine skepticism have disrupted vaccination campaigns and allowed the disease to continue. In some countries rumors abound that vaccination workers are spies for the CIA or are plotting to kill Muslim children. This tends to discourage participation! Sadly there is factual basis for this fear - the CIA organized a vaccination program to collect DNA to pinpoint the location of Osama bin Laden. As good as those results turned out to be, vaccination program directors everywhere were horrified when this information became public.