Is it possible that the scourge of polio could infect the United States again as it did in the 1900s? What a thought to ponder.

I recently spoke by phone to Dr. Richard Bruno, director of the Post-Polio Institute and International Centre for Post-Polio Education and Research. This institute is located in the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in Englewood. We discussed the importance of vaccinations, especially in the inner cities across the United States.

He posed this question: "What happens if a polio-infected child lands in a densely populated city like New York, where 23,000 toddlers are unvaccinated? Every child must be vaccinated because America's next polio epidemic may be just a plane ride away."

It was noted that 75 percent of polio carriers have no symptoms and because of socio-economic reasons, 1 million toddlers are unvaccinated, with 33,000 from New Jersey alone. Carriers are being called "Polio Peter,"which reminded me of the days of "Typhoid Mary."

I did not know that five cases were diagnosed in Minnesota in October 2005. This shows that polio is far from being wiped out. It has spread from Nigeria to Yemen and into Indonesia. This is frightening in the respect that polio has broken free of the international vaccination endeavor. One thousand new cases were reported in 2005.

Resolution 304 was passed in the U.S. Senate to declare 2006 The Year of Polio Education. A concurrent resolution in the House of Representatives will stress the great need for education about vaccination and Post-Polio Sequelae (PPS). It is very important that this be passed to show that health education is more important than political grandstanding.

Former Gov. Richard Codey declared in a proclamation that 2006 is the Year of Polio Education in New Jersey. We must not forget the 50,000 people from New Jersey out of 1,630,000 Americans who developed polio before the vaccines were introduced.

New Jersey's campaign for education will become the cornerstone of the International Post-Polio Task Force's proclamation of 2006 as The Year of Polio Education Campaign. New Jersey Health Commissioner Fred Jacobs and actress Mia Farrow will send letters to all health care professionals in New Jersey stressing the importance of vaccinations and treatment for PPS.

Thirty-five years after the poliovirus infection, 20 million survivors are experiencing PPS. The symptoms are breathing problems, muscle weakness, muscle and joint pain, overwhelming fatigue, sleep problems, cold intolerance, and sensitivity to anesthesia.

The letter states:"PPS is caused by decades of overuse abuse. The poliovirus damaged 95 percent of brainstem and spinal cord motor neurons, killing at least 50 percent. Virtually every muscle in the body was affected by polio, as were brain-activating neurons that keep the brain awake and focus attention. Although damaged, the remaining neurons compensated by sending out sprouts, like extra telephone lines, to activate muscles that were orphaned when their neurons were killed." Now these neurons are failing from overuse. Unfortunately, there is no way to diagnosis that PPS is happening and there is no cure.

Bruno stated that these patients are the "best and brightest" who pushed all their lives to overcome adversity. He remarked that it costs "pennies in prevention, but billions in cure" to undo the damage caused by polio.

Everyone should be aware of the facts of this disease that is not yet eradicated. The Web site for more information is www.postpolioinfo.com/postpolio.