For baby boomers, this isn’t our first outbreak

For those of us who are baby boomers, the coronavirus pandemic brings back memories of another serious global illness of the 50s and 60s. Very few of us growing up during the time of the polio epidemic did not come away not knowing someone who was adversely affected by this deadly and crippling disease.

From 1951-1954, an average of 16,316 cases of polio and 1,879 deaths occurred globally each year. Fortunately, a vaccine was developed rather quickly and polio cases declined dramatically after that. In February of 1954, the Inactivated Polio Virus (IPV) was developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, and this vaccine was administered to school children through injection.

According to the March 10, 1955, edition of the Dorchester Clarion, plans were being made to immunize over 175,000 children in the first and second grades of all public, private and parochial schools in Wisconsin. However, this was not always easy to do. In the April 28 Dorchester Clarion, it was reported that the polio immunization clinics had to be postponed indefinitely due to a shortage of the vaccine.

I remember receiving the polio injections at school when I was about 10 years old. We were taken as a group and waited in line. In the early ‘60s, the IPV was replaced by the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which was developed by Dr. Albert Sabin. This was given in a liquid form and, once again, we received this vaccine at school and it was administered with a sugar cube.

Dorchester residents were not immune from polio. In October of 1955, Mrs. Ray Van Hecker suffered severe paralysis from a polio attack. Mrs. Van Hecker suffered the paralysis in both of her legs, which resulted in being wheelchair bound for the remainder of her life. There were also reports in the Dorchester Clarion where multiple members of a family were struck by the polio virus. However, in these cases, the results usually had a better outcome, with the patients suffering less serious results.

During this time, the Dorchester and surrounding areas would come together to raise money to fight the polio epidemic. Dances and other community events were held, giving community members the opportunity to help. Families could also purchase a Polio Insurance Policy for a rather nominal fee, and advertisements were frequently found in area newspapers.

While the polio epidemic did not rise to the level of the coronavirus pandemic, it took a deadly toll on thousands of people. There are baby boomers still living today who live with the painful and crippling effects of polio. I am just thankful that I am not one of them.

Ken Anderson, the “Mayberry Guru,” can be reached at themayberryguru@gmail.com and www.themayberryguru. com

BE OUR

G UEST

KEN ANDERSON “THE MAYBERRY GURU”