Authored by BlueAngel on
Monday, January 12, 2004
November 19, 2003—Englewood, NJ:
Last evening Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter took to the floor of the United states Senate to announce a resolution proclaiming November Polio Survivors Month and 2004 The Year of Polio Awareness.
“The purpose of Senator Specter’s resolution is to promote awareness of the need for Polio vaccination and Post– Polio Sequalae”, said Dr. Richard L. Bruno Director of The Post-Polio Institute and International Centre for Education and Research at New Jersey’s Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. Post-Polio Sequelae (PPS which is also referred to as Post-Polio Syndrome & Late Effects of Polio) are the unexpected and often disabling symptoms of — overwhelming fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle and joint pain, sleep disorders, heightened sensitivity to anesthesia, cold intolerance, and difficulty swallowing and breathing—that occur in 75% of paralytic and 40% of non-paralytic survivors about 35 years after the poliovirus attack.
“Unfortunately those who were stricken with polio before vaccines were developed have not received the proper help they have needed,” said Spector in his Senate speech. “2004 is the fiftieth anniversary of the successful testing of the vaccine that eradicated polio in the US,” said Bruno, who is also the chairperson of the International Post-Polio Task Force. “But the vaccine also caused those not lucky enough to have been vaccinated—those who got polio—to be forgotten. Most doctors —and even many polio survivors—don’t know that Post-Polio Sequelae are real and treatable.”
Specter has been working with Bruno and the International Polio Task Force to draft legislation to educate and to provide needed services to America’s 1.63 million polio survivors. Senator Specter’s announcement, scheduled to be covered by “CNBC’s THE NEWS with Brian Williams” and a story broadcasted about the cause and treatment of Post-Polio Sequelae on November 19th, was made to the general public in November.
“Arlen Specter has become every polio survivors senator, regardless of the state in which they live,” said Bruno. Specter will receive a “David Bodian Memorial Award” from the International Post–Polio Task Force for his work on behalf of polio survivors. The week of November 10th, Bruno presented a Bodian Award was presented to NBC entertainment President, Jeff Zucker on NBC’s “Today Show” in recognitions of NBC’s effort to educate Americans about Post-Polio Sequelae. “Maureen McGovern will also receive a Bodian Award for her special relaxation recording for polio survivors that includes the new song “I’ll Never Know,” about polio survivors slowing their super -stressed, Type A lifestyles.” Bruno. McGovern’s recording also includes Bruno’s relaxation exercise, the “Two Breath Time Out,” from his forthcoming book, How to STOP being Vampire Bait, Your Personal Annihilation Program. Said Bruno, “ I am hopeful that The Year of Polio Awareness, Senator Specter’s legislation, and NBC covering the story of polio survivors and Post-Polio Sequelae will help to make the International Post-Polio Task Force motto a reality, ‘Every child vaccinated. Every polio survivor—and doctor—educated.“
The above article was copied and edited from an e-mail which this editor received November 19, 2003 from the INTERNATIONAL POST-POLIO TASK FORCE at the International Centre for Post-Polio Education and Research @ Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, Englewood, New Jersey 07631. 201-894-3724/postpolioinfo@aol.
Read Comments »