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Redwood Falls, Minn. —
Erik Posz of the Wabasso Standard did an interesting story on rural Wabasso resident, Maynard Martensen, who was diagnosed with polio in 1953.
As a youngster in the 50s, I remember a girl who was two years older than me who attended my school in Brownton who also had polio. I imagine, as a parent, the subject of polio was discussed frequently.
In 1950, the year I was born, 33,300 people were stricken by the virus which inflamed nerves in the brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis of the muscles in the chest, legs or arms in severe cases.
It was the March of Dimes that raised money for a cure. People from our generation can recall the organization’s poster children — adorable tots with braces and crutches.
Through the help of the March of Dimes, Jonas Salk developed the first vaccine and tested it in 1952.
Human trials began with the vaccine in 1957, and it was licensed in 1962.
Martensen recalled in 1953 cases of polio nationwide caused some interesting reactions from the public-at-large.
Because at that time no one was sure how the virus was contracted, he recalled that all of the area swimming pools were closed.
There were also rumors going around that people thought polio was being spread by bubble gum.
We know now that the highly contagious polio virus was spread by contact with contaminated oral secretions or feces.
The 1946 Minnesota State Fair was cancelled to reduce polio’s spread.
In the late 50s newspapers throughout the state an-nounced the arrival of polio vaccine at local doctor’s offices. If you have a polio story, give the Gazette a call at (507) 637-2929.
…
Playing PlayStation
I was amazed to read this week between April 17-19 hackers had reportedly stolen the personal information of 77 million users of the PlayStation Network, which allows people to play video games on the Sony console with others around the world.
If you or your children use the PlayStation Network (90 percent of the account info stolen was from users in the U.S. and Europe), here’s some advice from Sony:
• Be aware of e-mails or other communication from Sony asking for more personal information, such as a Social Security number. Sony says it does not contact users asking for this.
• Change your PSN password. If you use the same username and password for other accounts, such as your email or online banking, change those, too.
• Monitor your credit card statements and credit reports for signs of misuse. One free credit report a year is available to all Americans at www.annualcreditreport.com or (877) 322-8228.
…
Quote of the Day
“Whether we wish it or not we are involved in the world’s problems, and all the winds of heaven blow through our land.”
– Walter Lippmann
Erik Posz of the Wabasso Standard did an interesting story on rural Wabasso resident, Maynard Martensen, who was diagnosed with polio in 1953.
As a youngster in the 50s, I remember a girl who was two years older than me who attended my school in Brownton who also had polio. I imagine, as a parent, the subject of polio was discussed frequently.
In 1950, the year I was born, 33,300 people were stricken by the virus which inflamed nerves in the brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis of the muscles in the chest, legs or arms in severe cases.
It was the March of Dimes that raised money for a cure. People from our generation can recall the organization’s poster children — adorable tots with braces and crutches.
Through the help of the March of Dimes, Jonas Salk developed the first vaccine and tested it in 1952.
Human trials began with the vaccine in 1957, and it was licensed in 1962.
Martensen recalled in 1953 cases of polio nationwide caused some interesting reactions from the public-at-large.
Because at that time no one was sure how the virus was contracted, he recalled that all of the area swimming pools were closed.
There were also rumors going around that people thought polio was being spread by bubble gum.
We know now that the highly contagious polio virus was spread by contact with contaminated oral secretions or feces.
The 1946 Minnesota State Fair was cancelled to reduce polio’s spread.
In the late 50s newspapers throughout the state an-nounced the arrival of polio vaccine at local doctor’s offices. If you have a polio story, give the Gazette a call at (507) 637-2929.
…
Playing PlayStation
I was amazed to read this week between April 17-19 hackers had reportedly stolen the personal information of 77 million users of the PlayStation Network, which allows people to play video games on the Sony console with others around the world.
If you or your children use the PlayStation Network (90 percent of the account info stolen was from users in the U.S. and Europe), here’s some advice from Sony:
• Be aware of e-mails or other communication from Sony asking for more personal information, such as a Social Security number. Sony says it does not contact users asking for this.
• Change your PSN password. If you use the same username and password for other accounts, such as your email or online banking, change those, too.
• Monitor your credit card statements and credit reports for signs of misuse. One free credit report a year is available to all Americans at www.annualcreditreport.com or (877) 322-8228.
…
Quote of the Day
“Whether we wish it or not we are involved in the world’s problems, and all the winds of heaven blow through our land.”
– Walter Lippmann
