Help is needed after polio

Sir, I am delighted that very few polio cases have been discovered this year in Pakistan and Afghanistan. As the only two remaining polio-endemic countries, it is encouraging to see the recent mass vaccination campaign to help these countries join the rest of the world in eradicating polio.

I would, however, like to remind the public, politicians and medical professionals that equal vigour and determination should be applied to the diagnosis and management of Post Polio Syndrome (PPS), an incurable debilitating neurological condition, now starting to affect up to 80 per cent of people who previously had polio.

Our members have made fantastic steps to increase awareness of PPS - something desperately needed given some 120,000 people are affected in the UK - but they need all the help they can get.

My hope is that we can see the same determination in treating polio applied to how we combat PPS as well.

We must remember that once polio is totally eradicated from the planet, millions of people around the world will face the effects of PPS for generations to come, and as yet there is no plan to respond to this.

If you would like more information about The British Polio Fellowship or need support living with PPS, please visit www.britishpolio.org.uk or call 0800 043 1935. Ted Hill MBE, CEO, British Polio Fellowship.