A MAN has shocked doctors after surviving inside an iron lung for over seven decades.
Paul Alexander, dubbed ‘polio Paul’, has lived inside the lung ventilator ever since he contracted the deadly disease in 1952 – when he was just six-years old.
YouTube / Nick IsenbergPaul Alexander in his iron lung (pictured) which helps him breathe[/caption]
YouTube / Nick IsenbergDoctors said Paul “shouldn’t still be alive”[/caption]
“I lost everything: the ability to move, my legs would not hold me up and then I couldn’t breathe,” Paul, now 77 said.
But thankfully, young Paul was placed in an iron lung, which kept him alive.
More than 21,000 people in the US contracted this paralysing form of polio at its peak in 1952 – and some 3,000 died from it.
For these unlucky few, the only route to survival lay in massive metal coffin-like iron lungs.
The machine, which works by pushing air into the body to stimulate breathing, has mostly disappeared from modern medicine, thanks to the development of effective vaccines and modern ventilators.
For many sufferers the paralysis was temporary – meaning their stay inside the iron machines lasted only a few weeks.
But for others, like Paul, it was permanent.
Paul is one of two people still living inside an iron lung.
After catching Polio, Paul was left paralysed, only able move his head, neck and mouth.
He recalls as a child doctors saying he “shouldn’t still be alive,” but according to Paul, from Dallas, Texas, this only made he want to live more.
In class, because he couldn’t take notes, he learned to memorise things and in 1967 he graduated second in his class, becoming the first person to do so from a Dallas high school without ever physically attending.
Then Paul went on to managed to graduate from the University of Texas with a degree in Law.
And since he has spent decades working in law.
Eventually, Paul was was able to leave the iron lung for minutes at a time.
To do this, he has taught himself a special technique which allows him to breathe on his own which involves gulping air and swallowing it down like a ribbeting reptile.
He added: “I do the same thing everybody else does. I wake up, wash my face, brush my teeth, shave, have some breakfast – I just need a little bit more help doing it.”
In 2020, Paul published his biography ‘Three Minutes for a Dog : My Life in an Iron Lung’.
Now 76, he’s been recognised by Guinness World Records as having spent the longest amount of time living in an iron lung.
What is polio?
Polio is an infectious disease that can spread from person to person and most commonly affects children under the age of five.
The disease attacks the nervous system and in some extreme cases can lead to paralysis.
Polio is very contagious, and a person can transmit it even when they aren’t sick.
There are two ways the virus goes from person to person.
The first is that people with poliovirus in their bodies shed the virus through their feces (poop).
The second way is the virus can then spread to other people when they swallow contaminated water or food.
This exposure is more likely in areas that have poor hygiene or weak systems to clean water.
What are the causes of polio?
Polio is caused by a virus called poliovirus.
The virus enters the body through the mouth or nose, getting into the digestive and respiratory (breathing) systems.
It then harvests in the throat and intestines.
From there, it can enter the bloodstream and attack the nervous system.
There are three strains of poliovirus: types one, two, and three. Types two and three have been eliminated, but type one still affects people in a few countries.
Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine.
The two types of vaccines used are an inactivated poliovirus given by injection and a weakened poliovirus given by mouth.
Vaccination means polio is now very rare in most parts of the world.
It’s mainly found in two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Despite the rarity, a polio case has been officially confirmed in New York on July 21, 2022, as reported by Bloomberg.
In June 2022, the disease was also found lurking in London sewage, suggesting it may be spreading in the city – although no cases have been officially detected.
What are the symptoms of polio?
The majority of people who get infected with poliovirus will not have any visible symptoms.
About one in four people with poliovirus infection will have flu-like symptoms that may include:
Sore throatFeverTirednessNauseaHeadacheStomach pain
Symptoms usually last anywhere between two to 10 days before they go away on their own.
In very rare cases, polio can cause difficulty using your muscles, usually in the legs.
This is not usually permanent and movement should slowly return over the next few weeks or months.
However, it can be life-threatening if the paralysis affects the muscles used for breathing.
In this case, seek medical attention immediately.