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Polio: Combating the Crippler
Polio quietly preyed on thousands of young Canadians. The disease caused paralysis, deformed limbs and in the most severe cases, death by asphyxiation. In Canada, polio was so feared that as recently as the 1950s, it closed schools, emptied streets and banned children under 16 from entering churches and theatres. In 1955 it looked as though a miraculous polio vaccine signalled an end to new cases of the crippling disease. But a recent medical condition known as post-polio syndrome has survivors reliving the sequel to this once-forgotten nightmare.

	Ravages of polio		Paralysing fear		Medical milestone
	Polio has a particularly devastating impact on children. (TV; runs 1:29)		Polio turns Canadian cities into ghost towns. (Radio; runs 2:15)		Jonas Salk's vaccine is proven to be safe and effective against the polio virus. (TV; runs 5:13)

	Three cheers for Canadian scientists		Sabin vs. Salk: Oral vs. injected vaccine		Post-polio syndrome: The sequel
	University of Toronto's Connaught Lab is at the forefront of polio research. (TV; runs 5:34)		Polio battle leads to bitter rivalries and jealousies. (TV; runs 6:28)		Polio victims relive their nightmare as old symptoms return. (TV; runs 6:25)

	Polio's legacy
	Looking back on the 40th anniversary of the Salk vaccine. (Radio; runs 18:18)

LINKS Topic from Les Archives de Radio-Canada on the same subject Le combat contre la polio Related Topics from CBC's Archives Thalidomide: Bitter Pills, Broken Promises External sites A Science Odyssey: Paralysing Polio - Comic book story about eradicating polio from PBS. Biography Jonas Salk from Time magazine. March of Dimes Home Page World Without Polio - from UNICEF Herculean Efforts - history of Connaught and the Canadian polio vaccine story. The CBC assumes no responsibility for the content of external links.

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