1994

Polio eradicated in the western hemisphere

Thanks to widespread vaccination, polio was eradicated in the western hemisphere in 1994. Today it continues to circulate in a handful of countries, so it is important to make sure vaccinations are up-to-date before traveling abroad. In the United States, children are recommended to receive the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) at 2 months and 4 months of age, and then twice more before entering elementary school.

Despite widespread vaccination, and eradication in the western hemisphere, those who did contract polio in the first half of the 20th century often still suffer with post-polio syndrome. Thousands of people have been affected by this, for many it occurs decades after the initial acute infection. Symptoms of post-polio syndrome include muscle weakness, mental and physical fatigue, breathing or swallowing problems, muscle atrophy, sleep-related breathing disorders (like sleep apnea), and joint pain. While post-polio syndrome is rarely life threatening, severe muscle weakness can lead to complications like falls, chronic respiratory failure, malnutrition and dehydration, and osteoporosis.