EXTRA support will soon be available to post-polio sufferers thanks to new funding.
Polio Australia will receive $450,000 in federal grants to run clinical practice workshops to help health professionals learn more about the illness.
It will help 1200 GPs, nurses and specialists better understand post-polio and how to help polio survivors best manage it for a better quality of life.
Before the vaccines were introduced, polio affected up to four million Australians in the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s, with up to 40,000 infected with severe paralytic polio.
Many survivors are now experiencing the late effects of the illness, which can occur up to 40 years after the initial infection.
Symptoms include fatigue, muscle weakness, joint pain, and difficulties sleeping, breathing or swallowing. These are often confused with other illnesses.
Polio survivors can add their details to the Australian Polio Register for information and support.
