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Show Health News Infantile Paralyiii While there is much that is still unknown about infantile paralysis, par-alysis, this advice may help you protect your child from this dreaded disease, and particularly from the deformities which often follow it. Infantile paralysis is a contagious contag-ious disease. It occurs most often oft-en in the summer months and early fall, commonly among I children. In the beginning it resembles re-sembles many other contagious diseases. The child may become restless or drowsy, feverish, irritable ir-ritable and doesn't want to be moved. He is apt to vomit once or twice and may complain of headache or pain in the back of the neck. Many of these symptoms symp-toms are not unlike those in the common upsets to which children child-ren are subject, but the most serious sign is the stiffness which makes it bend spine and neck forward. Sometimes these early symptoms symp-toms may be very mild, and yet within 24 to 72 hours the child may be unable to move an arm or leg. Again he may be unmistakably unmistak-ably sick in the first stage of the disease but develops little or no paralysis. An attack may be so I mild that it is scarcely noticed, but it can still be contagious to other children. If your child has fever, vomiting and marked restlessness, rest-lessness, put him to bed promptly prompt-ly and call your family doctor. The child may not have infantile paralysis, but, if he has, the doctor doc-tor may be able to lessen the crippling after effects, which is the worst feature of this disease. If your child has had infantile paralysis, follow your doctor's instructions in-structions as to how to strengthen strength-en the weakened muscles. This Is a very gradual process and requires re-quires much patience and perseverance per-severance on the child's part and encouragement from the parents. During an epidemic of infantile infan-tile paralysis, it is a good rule to keep your child out of crowds, and away from homes where there is sickness, The general rules of health are always important. im-portant. Parents should see to it that children wash their hands before eating, and that they cover cov-er nose and mouth when sneezing sneez-ing or coughing. |