Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma(abcnews.com)
abcnews.com
Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma
https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/martha-lillard-us-polio-patient-iron-lung-dies-134668491
28 comments
I often think about how nearly everyone in my parent's generation knew someone with polio, but I know nobody from my generation in the world who had polio
Her self-created obituary, if anyone’s curious: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/shawnee-ok/martha...
Her optimism and creativity to overcome the disability and live her life is powerfully inspirational.
I wish I could apply that optimism to my perception of a societal shift away from disability accomodations and the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy... Enabling parents to foster unvaccinated children is a guarantee that we'll get a resurgence of this type of disease.
I recommend everyone educate themselves on our immune system: the book "Immune" (ISBN: 1529360684) introduces the vast complexity in a very approachable manner. Also the podcasts through MicrobeTV by Vincent Racaniello are excellent.
I wish I could apply that optimism to my perception of a societal shift away from disability accomodations and the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy... Enabling parents to foster unvaccinated children is a guarantee that we'll get a resurgence of this type of disease.
I recommend everyone educate themselves on our immune system: the book "Immune" (ISBN: 1529360684) introduces the vast complexity in a very approachable manner. Also the podcasts through MicrobeTV by Vincent Racaniello are excellent.
Is he still doing TWIV?
its crazy that humankind can effectively end disease
We can, but if we’re not careful, it can come back.
After eradicating polio for decades, we saw a case for the first time in 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9577438/
And given the drop in rates of immunization post covid, we can very expect more if the trend continues.
After eradicating polio for decades, we saw a case for the first time in 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9577438/
And given the drop in rates of immunization post covid, we can very expect more if the trend continues.
> suggesting an origin from the live attenuated oral polio vaccine
Without immunizations that would’nt have happened though?
Without immunizations that would’nt have happened though?
pfannkuchen(1)
Well, it's complicated. As I understand, one of the polio vaccines - the oral one - has an unusual quirk.
The live virus used in it can reproduce and spread in low-vaccination communities. While the vaccine version of it will not cause paralysis, it can and occasionally does mutate back into a pathogenic variant.
So we're sort of maintaining a reservoir of polio, really.
The live virus used in it can reproduce and spread in low-vaccination communities. While the vaccine version of it will not cause paralysis, it can and occasionally does mutate back into a pathogenic variant.
So we're sort of maintaining a reservoir of polio, really.
Hopefully though we will slowly wean off the live vaccine. For the most part the live vaccine is only used in developing countries. There are a bunch of factors that make that difficult but i think eventually we will get there.
Source?
Not OP, but this is fairly common knowledge. Here's a reliable source - search the page for VAPP: https://www.chop.edu/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-detail...
Thanks.
Well, "can" is debatable. The only one we've effectively eradicated is smallpox and that was almost 50 years ago. Of course we couldn't actually eradicate it, though, and kept samples for "research purposes".
Well also Rinderpest, but i suppose you meant human disease.
Personally i'd call smallpox as actually eradicated despite the samples. I think its fair to call other diseases effectively eradicated, even if they aren't total. If less than 10 people in the world are dying per year, that is effective eradication even if not total
Personally i'd call smallpox as actually eradicated despite the samples. I think its fair to call other diseases effectively eradicated, even if they aren't total. If less than 10 people in the world are dying per year, that is effective eradication even if not total
Perhaps we'll be great again soon.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-how-quickly...
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-how-quickly...
sbseitz(2)
Wild bad luck. Polio and despite vaccination she got Covid not once but twice and died of sequelei! And recently married. That is like lightening striking, again and again and again and again.
It might be more of a weakened immune system thing. Everyone gets small lightning strikes all the times, but our defences stop it before it gets too bad. So when defences are failing, you see a long string of random unlucky stuff happening .
Same for computer services going down regularly, or sequences of small industrial accidents, or even humans being non-stop unlucky.
Same for computer services going down regularly, or sequences of small industrial accidents, or even humans being non-stop unlucky.
And a good day to you, sir!
Something to remember by her is that the determination to live is something that keeps us going.