Seventy years on from Cork's polio epidemic some 'still living with the consequences'

Seventy years after the Cork polio epidemic, the city still remembers the victims, and the consequences borne by those who lived through it, a group of survivors has heard.

In the summer of 1956, an outbreak of poliomyelitis in Cork caused 220 cases of ‘infantile paralysis’ and cost the lives of five children.

Polio is a highly infectious disease spread through person-to-person or faecal–oral contact. 

Its effects range from a minor transient illness to long-term paralysis and even death.

However, most cases produce very mild or no symptoms and these usually go unrecognised.

Polio can strike at any age, but it mainly affects children under the age of five. 

The last recorded case of wild polio in Ireland was in 1984.

Between 25% and 50% of those who have recovered from paralytic polio in childhood can develop post-polio syndrome decades later, with symptoms including chronic pain, muscle weakness, mobility and respiratory issues, and extreme fatigue.

The Lord Mayor of Cork, councillor Damian Boylan, recently addressed a gathering of organised by Polio Survivors Ireland.

He said that while polio is something most Irish people only know from history books, for survivors, it had affected the course of entire lives.

“Seventy years on, we have a responsibility to remember what happened in Cork, to listen to those who lived through it, and to ensure that their experiences continue to inform how we care for people today.

“We should never forget the fear. We should never forget those we lost. And we should never forget those still living with the consequences," he said. 

Máire Ní Chorcora, a polio survivor originally from Mallow, said the Lord Mayor’s “kindness and decency” had meant more to survivors than he could know.

“For much of our lives we lived with the stigma of a disease that was considered shameful,” she said.

“To be recognised in this way is so important to us.”