I was saddened to read of Julius Youngner’s passing on April 27 (“Last Surviving Member of Salk Polio Team,” April 30 news obituary). I would like to pass on my condolences to his family. Dr. Youngner was a core member of the team that developed the Salk polio vaccine in 1955; within six years of the vaccine being administered across America, annual cases of polio declined from 14,000 to fewer than 1,000. To this day, his efforts have saved tens of thousands of lives across the world.

Dr. Youngner’s work in helping to eradicate polio will not be forgotten, but for his legacy to be observed truly, those who live with the late effects of polio and post-polio syndrome (PPS) can’t be forgotten either. Dr. Youngner’s work was only the beginning in helping those affected by polio. Our attention must now turn to PPS, a debilitating neurological condition.

In the United Kingdom, the condition affects some 120,000 polio survivors, but only 7 percent of the British public have even heard of PPS, a life-changing condition that can occur in up to 80 percent of those who have had polio. 

It’s time to spread the word about post-polio syndrome. Information can be found on our organization’s website, www.BritishPolio.org.uk.

TED HILL
CEO, The British Polio Fellowship
Watford, England

First Published: May 23, 2017, 4:00 a.m.