Polio survivors who recovered from their illness decades ago but have now contracted post-polio syndrome have urged the Government to do more to help them.
There are about 7,500 polio survivors in the State and between 60 and 80 per cent of these will contract post-polio syndrome.
Symptoms include muscle and joint pain, difficulty in walking, constant fatigue and severe intolerance to the cold. There is no known cure for the syndrome.
Éamonn Farrell, chief executive of the Post Polio Support Group, said the group's membership was increasing by more than 10 per cent a year in recent years as people began to feel the effects of the illness.
He said the cost of a package of supports for such people would not be large in the overall context of Government spending but it would make a major difference to their lives.
Mr Farrell said State departments often pointed out that special provision was made for hardship cases, but he said people with the late effects of polio should have an automatic entitlement to medical and social care because of the hardship they suffered.
"We are not asking for much," said Joan Bradley, founder of the group. She said it would not be an ongoing cost to the exchequer because the affected group was small "and we are going to die out".
Polio is virtually unheard of in the developed world since the polio vaccine was introduced in the 1960s.
Ms Bradley said people who had been hit by the late effects of polio suffered "a cruel and debilitating blow" because they had overcome their illness and believed they had put calipers or crutches behind them forever.
Ms Bradley was paralysed by polio after contracting the virus when she was four. She eventually recovered and became a radiographer but had to give up her job for low-paid office work because of the fatigue and other symptoms associated with post-polio syndrome. She used a stick, calipers and crutches to prolong her working life and she now uses a wheelchair.
Mr Farrell said people with post-polio syndrome should be included in the long-term illness scheme and medical-card scheme because of their unique health needs. And because they were more sensitive to cold, they should receive the free fuel allowance, he added.
Ms Bradley said many people with post-polio syndrome were on low incomes because they could not continue full-time work. She had heard cases of people staying in bed because they could not afford to heat their homes. Because it was costly to recharge a wheelchair battery, some had to choose between turning down the heat or using the wheelchair less, she said.
Almost two years ago, Minister for Health Mary Harney said she would look at the case for including polio in the long-term illness scheme.
Asked about progress since then, a Department of Health spokeswoman said there were no plans to provide for the granting of medical cards to any particular group as a whole. "However, the Department of Health and Children is currently reviewing all legislation relating to eligibility for health and personal social services with a view to making the system as fair and transparent as possible," she said.
The Post Polio Support Group also encouraged parents to be vigilant about having their children vaccinated against polio.
Ms Bradley said some people did not treat vaccinations seriously, but if they realised the hardship that polio caused, then they would be much more interested in vaccinating their children.
