NATIONAL CONFERENCE
14th - 16th September 2007
A report on the Conference from Jean Coe
POLIO ONLY
A PLANE RIDE AWAY
"An outbreak of Polio
is only a plane ride away" said J B Munro, national secretary of the
Post Polio Support Society NZ (Inc), paraphrasing the scenario
described by Dr Stephen de Graaff MBBS FAFRM of Melbourne who addressed
the society's annual Conference recently in Hamilton. Wild strains of
polio are still present in countries such as Pakistan (9 cases reported
by WHO last year), Afghanistan (3), India (62) and Nigeria (104).
Most society members
at Conference came from Auckland through to BOP/Rotorua; others came
from other NI areas and a sizeable contingent from the South Island.
All attending were polio survivors, including the president for 30
years, Ray Wilson, the secretary J B Munro, ex parliamentarian and CEO
of CCS Inc, and the editor, Jim Webber, previously from Kawhia and past
correspondent for the Dominion's Motoring Times.
Dr de Graaff remarked
that even President Roosevelt of the USA contracted polio as an adult,
showing pictures of him in public life and describing how he managed,
with much assistance, to appear more physically able than he actually
was. Dr de Graaff even showed archaeological evidence of polio as an
ancient disease, an Egyptian wall plaque from 1550-3000BC depicting a
young man with a withered leg leaning on a stick (classic polio), and
similar affliction in a skeleton from 3000 to 2000BC of a 20year old
female in United Arab Emirates. Dr De Graaff's talks covered the
history of polio, criteria for Post Polio Syndrome, management of the
deteriorating condition, exercise and the elderly, and pain management
for those unfortunate enough to be experiencing constant pain..
All polio survivors
have contracted polio in earlier years and recovered to some degree;
some appear now to be still unaffected, some have used a wheelchair for
most of their lives, and others somewhere in between, having developed
strategies to cope. Yet all of these people have noticed a weakening, a
deterioration in their capabilities as the original recovery levels
diminish. Dr de Graaff explained this process as being part of the Post
Polio Syndrome, which few medically trained people understand as this
is a new phenomenon to them. The condition has been described in only
the last 30 years and is not taught in medical schools. It was
heartening that the conference was attended by a sprinkling of
professionals, including physiotherapists from the Queen Elisabeth
Hospital, Rotorua.
Polio survivors who
use aids develop, of necessity, a close relationship with their
orthoticist, a scarce service. As a local guest speaker at the dinner,
Colin Storey said that polio legs change their shape with muscle
atrophy, bowing etc, so that polio survivors wear out their calliper,
joints and leathers,
Dr de Graaff
emphasised the importance of medications for polio survivors being at a
suitable strength for their condition, and that someone undergoing
surgery with a general anaesthetic can take an extraordinarily long
time to "come round" if the dosage given had not had taken into account
the effects of polio on the nervous system; he mentioned certain other
drugs which should be avoided by polio survivors if at all possible.
Waikato PPS members
include a retired farmer, Jack, who was recently awarded for bravery in
tackling a robber in a shop, and Dick from Matamata, who was the NZ
Snooker Champion at one stage; he would wedge the back end of the cue
against his good arm and give a jerk. The conference was told of a tall
tennis player from Hamilton called Arthur who contracted polio as an
adult, but with double callipers and crutches got around town in an
adapted Mini car or rode a tricycle, living an active life to age 83.
This was the
first time Hamilton has hosted the Conference, a very successful
occasion which raised local awareness of the potentially fatal disease
and its after-effects.
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