ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=unicode"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2604" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <pre> <h2>Polio vaccine anniversary bittersweet </h2> <b> Survivors are now coping with new problems TORONTO, March 1 /CNW/ - The Salk vaccine that ended North America's devastating polio epidemic marks its 50th anniversary this year. Yet many survivors who beat the disease long ago are finding that for them, polio is anything but history. "Post-polio syndrome is the name given to new health problems affecting individuals who contracted poliomyelitis earlier in their lives," says Kimberley Dowds, national peer support services manager for Polio Canada. "With the introduction of the Salk vaccine in 1955, most people thought they had seen the last of polio. Since then, the majority of men and women who survived the disease have led full and productive lives. But now, a growing number of people who had polio in the past have started to experience new symptoms, including pain, weakness and fatigue." March is Polio Awareness Month and a national campaign is underway to educate polio survivors and the general public about the late effects of the disease. Today, it is estimated that 50 to 70 per cent of polio survivors may experience the disabling effects of post-polio syndrome 25 to 45 years after their initial recovery from polio. Sadly, though, many dismiss the first signs and symptoms of post-polio syndrome as a normal part of the aging process and do not seek medical attention until the symptoms are more severe. As well, many health care professionals today have never experienced a polio outbreak and have had few, if any, polio survivors as patients. "Often polio survivors are misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia or depression because many clinicians are still unaware of the symptomology of post-polio syndrome," adds Dowds. If you suspect that your symptoms could be caused by post-polio syndrome, call 1-800-480-5903 or visit the Polio Canada Web site at www.poliocanada.com. Since its launch in March 2003, Polio Canada and its National Polio Survivors Network - a program of the Rehabilitation Foundation for Disabled Persons, Canada, and operated by Ontario March of Dimes - has been educating and informing health care professionals and polio survivors, offering them resources on the late effects of polio and post-polio syndrome. The program has also continued to provide assistance to existing support groups and is planning to establish new ones across Canada, in rural areas and within ethnic communities where there is a need. It is estimated that there are more than 125,000 Canadians in Canada who have survived polio. This June, the organization will celebrate the anniversary of the Salk Vaccine by participating in the International Association for Biologicals (IABs) Standardization Conference - Polio Vaccine: The First 50 Years and Beyond. From June 5-7 over 200 scientists will be in Toronto to focus on polio today and the solutions for tomorrow. April 12, 1955 marked the announcement that the vaccine was officially declared safe. Polio Canada is the leading service provider of education, information and peer support to polio survivors across Canada. </b> For further information: Media Contact: Tom Bartsiokas, Public Relations Coordinator, Polio Canada, Provincial Office, 10 Overlea Blvd., Toronto, ON, M4H 1A4, (416) 425-3463 ext. 240, Fax: (416) 425-1920, Cell: (416) 305-0084, tbartsiokas@dimes.on.ca, www.dimes.on.ca </pre> </BODY></HTML>