Coronavirus reminds older Elk Grove residents of polio epidemic - Elk Grove Citizen

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Coronavirus reminds older Elk Grove residents of polio epidemic - Elk Grove Citizen Posted: 03 Apr 2020 12:00 AM PDT As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues, some of Elk Grove's elderly residents are reminded of another disease that caused great fear in the lives of millions: polio. For decades, polio severely worried parents, as this infectious viral disease, which was also known as "infantile paralysis," mostly affected young children, causing muscle weakness, paralysis, and, in the most severe cases, death. Although COVID-19 has different symptoms and complications than polio, the two diseases have similarities, as both have caused great panic, and infected and killed many people. And like the novel coronavirus, polio spread while having no known cure. The nation's first polio outbreak occurred in Vermont in 1894, and caused 18 deaths and 132 reported cases of paralysis. Like COVID-19, the disease spread throughout the country and caused many thousands of people to become infected. Among the most known examples, that polio could affect adults came in 1921, when future President Franklin D. Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio at the age of 39. In the late 1920s, a mechanical respirator – nicknamed the "iron lung" – debuted. The machine was used to help with the breathing of polio patients with paralyzed muscles in their chests. Polio reached an epidemic level in the United States in 1952, as about 58,000 new cases were reported, 3,145 people died from the disease, and 21,269 people were left with mild to disabling paralysis. During the following year, Dr. Jonas Salk, an American medical researcher and virologist, announced on a national radio show that he successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, the virus that causes polio. Salk's vaccine was introduced in 1955, at which time Elk Grove had 1,069 residents, according to that year's census. An article in the Feb. 24, 1955 edition of the Citizen notes that the Elk Grove community's March of Dimes polio drive raised $1,355. A plan to give the "Salk Vaccine" to 17,000 first and second graders in Sacramento County was initially set for April 18, 1955. But due to some early complications with the effectiveness of the vaccine, it was not until the following month that the county's schoolchildren were first vaccinated. Upon the recommendation of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, a two-shot program within the first month, followed by a third shot about seven months later, was instituted. The national program to vaccinate schoolchildren led to a drastic decrease in the number of polio cases. There have not been any natural occurring polio cases reported in the United States since 1979. Such a statistic does not remove the memories of this disease, which 90-year-old Elk Grove resident Arnie Zimbleman said he remembers well. "I remember how bad it was at the time," he said. "We used to go around selling little 'wipe out polio' stamps. It's pretty well wiped out, isn't it?" Zimbleman, who moved to Elk Grove with his wife, Iris, in 1956, recalled a polio survivor in Elk Grove. "I remember (former Elk Grove resident) Dick Lichtenberger," he said. "He had polio as a kid and went to Shriners Hospital, and he was thankful forever after, because they got him back on his feet." Another Elk Grove resident, 92-year-old Melba Mosher, recalled an incident in which her family feared that she had become infected with polio. "I was born in 1927 and I had a really high temperature as a (child), so my family was just really very upset," she said. "My mother was thinking polio, but I hadn't been any place. But because of my temperature, that was a big fear, definitely." Elk Grove resident Dolores Greenslate, 95, noted similarities between the fear caused by polio and the fear caused by COVID-19. "Polio was something new to us, too, because we hadn't had anything like this before," she said. "And now with this coronavirus, it seems like it is repeating itself. We've never had anything like it. Right now, it is affecting everybody, every darn person. "When you had infantile paralysis, it scared you. And people are panicking about this (COVID-19) and we were panicking about polio. We were so afraid that we were even afraid to talk about it, and if it hit us, what would we do?"

1946 polio case quarantines farm family | Yarns of Yesteryear - Leader-Telegram Posted: 30 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PDT The year was 1946. World War II had ended, but the state and national concern that year focused on a new enemy, poliomyelitis, better known as infantile paralysis, or polio. Our family lived on an 80-acre dairy farm in Manitowoc County, which did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. We relied on a windmill to pump our water or had to resort to pumping it by hand. We hand milked 15 cows twice a day. Needless to say, farming was a struggle then, and to make matters worse, my three-year-old sister, Dianne, suddenly became sick in June of that year with what our family doctor diagnosed as polio symptoms and advised that she be taken by ambulance to a hospital in Madison that was set up to handle polio patients. Our family of eight was immediately placed under quarantine. We were devastated. For one month none of us were allowed to milk our cows, but our concerned neighbors were quick to volunteer to milk our cows each day and to deliver safe drinking water for the family. The milk could not be sold for human consumption, so we either had to feed it to the hogs or dump the daily supply on the manure pile. No income that month. The outhouse had to be sanitized with a heavy sprinkling of lime. These were precautionary measures advised by the county health nurse as they did not know the cause of the virus. The county nurse did visit our family weekly to check our status. This episode took place during summer months, so it did not affect our schooling. As a 15-year-old, I was working at a local chick hatchery, and my boss's younger daughter had also contracted polio and ended up with a deformed leg and paralysis. My sister has fully recovered, has no evidence of the setback and the medical personnel never found a correlation between the polio affliction of my three-year-old sister and the chick hatchery girl. Fortunately the Salk vaccine was developed at a later date, and since that time polio has been kept under control in the United States, although there are sporadic outbreaks in remote places of Africa and the Middle East where medical personnel find it difficult to reach the stricken. Now, here we are 74 years later and suddenly our entire world is faced with a pandemic, a new virus better known as coronavirus. It has placed a tremendous strain on our medical handling of this sweeping attack as well as an economic setback of unmeasured proportions if the disease is not harnessed. I called my sister Dianne last weekend and we both agreed that we have lived through the era known as "The Greatest Generation" and may never experience again the good life that we had. Dad died of a heart attack at age 75, and our hardworking mom died of pancreatic cancer at age 85. All eight of us offspring, ages 66 to 89 are still living and are in reasonably good health. Sure, we lived through some rough times, but as our dad used to say, "We may not make much money farming but at least we eat good and overall we are in good health." Dad was a great provider by raising livestock and a large garden. Mom was an excellent cook and a caring mother. The names of two people come to mind that were stricken with polio but despite the handicap led fruitful lives. Many of us remember Jack Hackman, who was born and raised in Pittsville. He went on to become an executive officer of WDLB radio in Marshfield and a leader and worker of many foundations in Marshfield. The other person, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, stricken with polio that crippled both legs, was elected U.S. President in 1933 and held that office for 4 consecutive terms. Known for coining the term, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," he died at the age of 63 in the early stage of his 4th term in office. Although polio limited his mobility, he was still able to govern. Once again we are being asked to change our lifestyle and make adjustments to overcome or conquer this dreaded disease. Quarantines are now being established and updated medical advice is being sent out via radio, television or in print. It's a tipsy-topsy world we live in. It behooves us to follow medical recommendations, hoping that we can return to a life style that we have lived through or still seek. At the moment those visions seem bleak. My sister and I found one ray of humor in our discussion in that our family never experienced a shortage of toilet paper as we relied on Sears-Roebuck or Penney's catalogs.

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