In industrialized countries in the middle of the 20 th century, especially in the United States, polio caused a level of fear that it is difficult to imagine today.

The disease was, paradoxically, the price to pay for advances in hygiene. During previous centuries when hygiene was poor, the disease spread easily. Most of the population was infected during infancy or childhood, when infection is usually harmless.

Among children who are paralyzed by polio: 30% make a full recovery 30% are left with mild paralysis 30% have medium to severe paralysis 10% die (Source: L'interactif, June 1998, Handicap International)

There is currently no treatment for polio. However, effective physical therapy, at times in conjunction with surgery, can change the future for paralyzed individuals.

The paralysis caused by polio varies from a handicap in one leg to respiratory failure that can result in death. Without physical therapy and, in some cases, a brace to hold the legs in place, patients may suffer irreversible deformities. The limbs atrophy and the bones set in positions that render them unusable.

10 to 20 million people worldwide live with lasting damage caused by polio.

In recent years, some former polio victims have experienced a worsening of their condition, decades after their primary infection. This condition, referred to as "post-polio syndrome," is still not fully understood.