The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-06-15
Your Child
Today
BY Dorothy v. WhippIe. N. D.
up Newsfeatures


Along with the pleasant things of
good old summertime comes the
fear of polio.
Polio begins with vague symp-
toms: fever, generally tired and
irritable feeling and headache.
There may be vomiting and diar-
rhea; there may be constipation.
These are the symptoms of lots
of minor illnesses. Don't jump to
the conclusion your child has polio
just because he has a headache
and fever. It's much more likely
to be throat infection or flu or a
stomach upset than polio.
However, it's good idea to
have your child seen by doctor
whenever he gets sick. Mild i'll
nesses and serious ones often start
the same way.
If you can't get to the doctor
right away, there are two simple
tests that may may reassure you.
If your child can bend his head so
that his chin touches his chest, and
If he can put his head between his
knees, he probably doesn't have
polio.
If he does have polio, it's i'm.
portant that he be under the care
of good doctor right from the
beginning. Good care can do much
to prevent serious after-effects by
protecting weakened muscles from
strain.
The great majority of children
who do get polio never have any
paralysis at any time. Of those
who do have some paralysis dur
ing the acute stage goodly num-
Der recover completely. Those
few who have considerable pa
ralySis improve a good deal dur
ing convalescence.
If any weakness remains it is
very important that the child con-
tinue to have whatever physical
therapy the doctor recommends.
Many weakened muscles can be
brought back to fair function with
long continued treatment.
During the polio season, and es-
pecially if few cases of the dread
ed disease occur in your COM
you may be asking what
you can do to protect your child.
Nobody knows exactly how polio
is spread from person to person.
We do know, however, that the
virus that causes it is present in
the mouth secretions and also in
the stool of people who have the
disease. It is probably that the dis
ease is caught by getting this virus
in the mouth.
But everyone who gets a dose of
polio virus doesn't come down with
the disease. So Et =
1t has been discovered that when
a case of polio occurs in a house
hold almost everyone in the house
will have the germ, even if not an.
other one becomes sick. These
healthy people are just as likely
to spread the disease around the
community as is the person with
poiio - more SO, in fact, because
the sick person is at home in bed.
A great many people seem to
resist catching polio. Maybe it's be-
cause they have had small doses
OF the virus from time to time and
have built up an immunity. This
may be the reason why children
are more susceptible than grown
ups, to polio = they haven't had
time or opportunity to build up re-
sistance.
In any case, in time of a polio
epidemic there are probably many
healthy people walking around
who have polio virus in their bod
les. To protect your child, take a
little extra care with cleanliness.
See to it that hands are well wash.
ed before meals and, if you can,
before they 60 in the mouth.
Since anyone is more apt to
catch anything when he is tired or
chilled, it's a good idea to avoid
fatigue.
Probably it's also a good idea
to keep children out of crowds DUR
ing polio epidemic. Avoid crowd
ed stores, amusements parks, NOV.
les.
At the same time don't make a
hermit of your child. Let him play
with his friends and live as nor
NAL a life as possible.
The time may soon be at hand
when we will have a vaccination
against polio, but for this summer
you will have to protect your child
with general measures.