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Hugh Gallagher explored what he called FDR’s Splendid Deception in his 1985 book of that title. In the title Gallagher was referring to FDR’s concealment of the polio-related paralysis that struck him in 1921. Gallagher was also a polio victim who understood the pain underlying Roosevelt’s efforts. Researching the book, Gallagher found that among the 35,000 photographs of Roosevelt at his presidential library, only two featured him in his wheelchair. Media of the day cooperated by ignoring his polio. Roosevelt himself went to extraordinary lengths to convey the impression that he could walk. “[T]he overwhelming fact about [FDR] is that...

Paul Alexander, who lived in an iron lung for more than 70 years after Polio left him paralyzed, died after contracting Covid-19, according to reports. 'Ultimately, it was not an iron lung defect, but a corona infection that led to his death. He died peacefully in the presence of his brother,' German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reports. The publication printed what may be the final interview with Alexander this week, with the extraordinary man telling its reporter earlier this year that he had 'almost died a thousand times' and suspected he did not have much time left. The 78-year-old was admitted...

polio vaccine, preparation of poliovirus given to prevent polio, an infectious disease of the nervous system. The first polio vaccine to be widely used in humans, known as inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) or Salk vaccine, was developed in the early 1950s by American physician Jonas Salk. This vaccine contains killed virus and is given by injection.

Successful public health campaigns and medical advances have enabled the United States to conquer a range of disfiguring and damaging diseases. Polio, which paralyzed thousands of Americans annually, was wiped out by widespread vaccinations. In 1999 the nation’s last hospital for lepers closed its doors in Louisiana. A global campaign eradicated smallpox, while lethal tuberculosis, the “consumption” that stalked characters in decades of literature, seemed beaten by antibiotics. Measles outbreaks still occur from time to time, but they are small, local, and easily contained.Recently, however, some of these forgotten but still formidable infectious diseases have begun to reappear in the...

Successful public health campaigns and medical advances have enabled the United States to conquer a range of disfiguring and damaging diseases. Polio, which paralyzed thousands of Americans annually, was wiped out by widespread vaccinations. In 1999 the nation’s last hospital for lepers closed its doors in Louisiana. A global campaign eradicated smallpox, while lethal tuberculosis, the “consumption” that stalked characters in decades of literature, seemed beaten by antibiotics. Measles outbreaks still occur from time to time, but they are small, local, and easily contained. Recently, however, some of these forgotten but still formidable infectious diseases have begun to reappear in...

A man dubbed “Polio Paul” has lived inside a 600-pound iron lung for seven decades, reportedly refusing to upgrade to a modern machine. Paul Alexander, 77, contracted polio in 1952 when he was 6 years old. In March, Guinness World Records declared him the longest iron lung patient ever. He has faced many challenges since he was born in 1946. Just last year, Alexander was “taken advantage of by people who were supposed to care for his best interests,” with a fundraiser collecting $132,000 for him. In 1952, he endured the worst polio outbreak in US history with almost 58,000...

A destroyed medical storage in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, as deadly clashes between rival generals' forces continue.More than 1 million polio vaccines intended for children have been destroyed as a result of looting in Sudan. PHOTO | AFP Polio, a disease which mainly affects children under 5, can lead to paralysis and death. Africa was declared free of wild polio in 2020 but Malawi, Mozambique and Sudan have reported imported cases since last year. Numerous humanitarian agencies have reported looting during the Sudan crisis. More than 1 million polio vaccines intended for children have been destroyed as...

A startling 50% of migrants streaming into the Big Apple are not vaccinated against the contagious and potentially deadly poliovirus, city Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan recently revealed — as he urged doctors to help prevent a public health emergency, The Post has learned. Vasan also said the new migrants come from, or pass through, countries with high rates of infectious tuberculosis — and noted there’ve been outbreaks of chickenpox in shelters housing the newcomers. “More than 50,000 people have come to New York City (NYC) in the past year shortly after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. As more people arrive and...

A woman recalled being so blinded by love as a teenager that it took her three months to realize her boyfriend only had one leg. The TikToker said she and her 6-foot-6 boyfriend, whose name she did not disclose, “were inseparable. We saw each other, like, every day. We spent every waking moment together." “So I took this picture to my friends, and I said, ‘Guys, I think my boyfriend might only have one leg.'” She said her friends were puzzled by the accusation and encouraged her to get answers from her beau. He eventually confessed a few weeks later,...

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that the Republicans’ opposition to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troops will lead to polio, measles and rubella outbreaks in schools. Anchor Andrea Mitchell said, “I want to ask you about the final version of the Defense Authorization Bill released by the House because it rescinds the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine for the military, which was opposed by some conservative Republican senators, largely. They say it’s hurting getting the volunteer Army getting geared up and recruitment. But there are so many vaccine requirements. They serve in close quarters....

When a young adult in a New York City suburb visited an emergency department in June after experiencing weakness in their lower legs, the shocking diagnosis would lead local officials to declare a health emergency in New York and put authorities across the U.S. and around the world on a state of alert. The individual, a resident of Rockland County, had suffered from a fever, a stiff neck, back and abdominal pain as well as constipation for five days. The patient was hospitalized and tested for enterovirus, a family of pathogens that in rare cases can cause weakness in the...

New York’s top health official is urging the public to get vaccinated against poliovirus if they haven’t yet done so. State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett declared polio "an imminent threat to public health" in New York State Wednesday, Sept. 28. The declaration will free up resources to help local health departments set up vaccination clinics and better focus their outreach efforts to unvaccinated or under-vaccinated New Yorkers, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said. Health officials are hoping to boost immunization rates particularly in areas that have been most affected by the virus and among children. “Thanks to long-established school immunization...

Polio is mysteriously surging through New York City and almost certainly in other places across the nation. A state of emergency has been declared by Governor Kathy Hochul as scientists warn that this is a vaccine-derived version of the deadly disease. Now, data points are emerging, albeit slowly, in western media as the scourge of Bill Gates is becoming clear. This has been well known in places like India where the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have worked hard to get the live oral polio vaccine administered to as many people as possible. The results:...

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency Friday, Sept. 9, after polio was found in more wastewater samples. The executive order will immediately expand the network of polio vaccine administrators with the addition of EMS workers, midwives, and pharmacies. It also authorizes doctors and certified nurse practitioners to issue standing orders for polio vaccines, the governor's office said. Under the order, healthcare providers are also required to send polio immunization data to the New York State Department of Health, which will help local health agencies better focus their vaccination efforts where they are needed most, officials said....

The Governors office has declared a disaster over the states recent polio outbreak that some fear could have infected thousands in the Empire State

ALBANY — New York declared a state of emergency on Friday to boost vaccinations against polio. Gov. Hochul issued an executive order expanding the state’s network of vaccine administrators to EMS workers, midwives and pharmacists as evidence mounts that the once rare virus is spreading in the state. Only one case of paralytic polio has been recorded in Rockland County so far, but wastewater samples from across the city and surrounding suburbs suggests the pathogen is circulating across the region.

Polio outbreaks in New York and London are spreading, in part, through human feces and bad sanitation habits. One New York man was found to have been infected with polio earlier this summer, the first American case in years and he ended up temporarily paralyzed, according to ABC News. Authorities then discovered the virus spreading throughout the wastewater systems both in London and in various parts of New York, indicating that more cases are going undetected. The New York man suffered from vaccine-derived poliovirus. There are two types of polio vaccines in common use today: an injection which uses a...

<p>LONDON (AP) — For years, global health officials have used billions of drops of an oral vaccine in a remarkably effective campaign aimed at wiping out polio in its last remaining strongholds — typically, poor, politically unstable corners of the world.</p>

A 20-year-old New York man was recently diagnosed with polio, which paralyzed his legs. Polio once crippled or killed many young people in the United States, but was essentially wiped out during the 1960s following development of a vaccine. Because the New York man, who wasn’t vaccinated against polio, hadn’t recently traveled outside the country, it’s believed he became infected locally. Moreover, poliovirus has been found in wastewater in Rockland County, N.Y., where the stricken man lives and in a nearby county. It also has been found in sewage in New York City, according to an opinion article in The...

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) would love to find a new boogie man virus to keep us locked down in November, perhaps to avoid the behind-the-shed beating Democrats know is coming. The question is, which virus will it be?We have two contenders for now, though I wouldn’t be shocked if the CDC and their comrades at the WHO can witch-brew up a few more in the next ten weeks.Contender #1: MonkeypoxThe left went all-in on monkeypox to scare the bejeezus out of us but then had to hit the Bat ‘chute when they realized it was primarily affecting gay...