16th December 1998
The American Academy of Pediatrics revises guidelines on the use of Polio Vaccines

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a statement to its 55,000 member pediatricians offering new vaccine recommendations for the four dose immunization series to prevent polio in children. The policy recommendations appear in the December 1998 issue of AAP News, the official newsmagazine of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The AAP now recommends that most children in the United States receive the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), which is received as an injection at 2 and 4 months of age for the first two doses. Either the IPV or the oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) is recommended for the third dose at 6 to 18 months and the fourth dose at 4 to 6 years. Depending on the child’s medical history, pediatricians also may choose to give IPV for the entire four dose schedule. This new recommendation also is aimed at reducing the rare instance of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP), which is associated with the live virus within OPV.

The above are the two opening paragraphs of a press release issued December 9, 1998, 5 p.m. (ET). The full text can be found at http://www.aap.org/advocacy/archives/decpolio.htm

The article referred to in the press release, Revised IPV-OPV recommendations approved from the December 1998 AAP News, the official news magazine of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is also available at http://www.aap.org/advocacy/ipvopv.htm and the Policy Statement Poliomyelitis Prevention: Revised Recommendations for Use of Inactivated and Live Oral Poliovirus Vaccines (RE9853) at http://www.aap.org/policy/re9853.html.

ACIP's similarly revised recommendations are reported in NewsBites 6th January 1999.

For other Polio Vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

11th December 1998
PPS & Physical Therapy Survey

Invitation to Participants

Deadline for survey returns extended to 15th February 1999

Following this covering letter you will find a link to the survey itself.

December 1, 1998

Dear Participant:

My name is Carrie Scheberies and I am completing my Masters degree in Physical Therapy at Armstrong Atlantic State University. I am currently working on my thesis requirement and have chosen to focus on issues regarding the Postpolio group. I am surveying people with Postpolio Syndrome to ascertain the level of patient satisfaction with physical therapy services. Much current research regarding Postpolio Syndrome has expressed patient dissatisfaction with health care in general, yet none has specifically focused on physical therapy services.

The information obtained by this survey will offer insight as to current patient satisfaction with physical therapy and which areas of service clients may feel are not as beneficial. It may also be a means to discover ways to improve the patient-provider relationship for better quality of care.

Criteria for inclusion in this study are

1. that you were initially diagnosed with polio years ago,
2. that you have since been diagnosed with Postpolio Syndrome, and
3. that you have seen a physical therapist in the last year.

Attached is a Therapist Evaluation Form and some additional questions regarding your perceptions of your physical therapy experience. Your participation in this study is voluntary. These questions should take approximately ten minutes to complete. Please return this survey to the investigator upon completion either by emailing it or by mailing it to the respective address below. I will score these surveys personally and ensure that your answers will be kept confidential. Completion of this survey will be regarded as your informed consent.

If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to contact me at the Department of Physical Therapy at Armstrong Atlantic State University (912)-921-2327. If you have any questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant in this study, you may contact the Institutional Review Board Chairman at Armstrong Atlantic State University, Dr. Emma T. Simon. Her telephone number is (912) 927-5377.

Thank you so much for your time and cooperation. Your participation is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Carrie Scheberies
email address: schebeca@pirates.armstrong.edu
mailing address: 437-B Tibet Avenue, Savannah, Ga. 31406

The Post-Polio Syndrome Central web site has put the survey form online. You can choose between an online form or a simple text version which you can return by email or normal postal services. The following link will take you to the entry page which in addition to a copy of the above letter has links to the survey forms. The online form version contains information you should read before deciding to participate.

http://www.skally.net/ppsc/c-survey.htm

1st December 1998
California Support Group Meeting

On Saturday, December 5, 1998 Dr. Jacquelin Perry of Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center in Downey, CA, known world wide as a polio expert, will be the guest speaker at the Rancho Los Amigos Post-Polio Support Group meeting. The meeting will be held at a new location and time:

Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center
7601 E. Imperial Hwy.
Downey, CA 90242
**Room 1150, Support Services Annex
(north of Imperial Hwy., off Old River School Rd. - adjacent to the parking structure)
1:00 to 3:00 PM Saturday, December 5, 1998

Everyone is invited to attend.

Dr. Perry continues to see patients at the Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center polio clinic on Tuesdays and Fridays.

To make an appointment for a new evaluation or follow-up, call (562) 401-8264.

Dr. Perry will also be a key speaker at the Dublin Conference, "Polio in the 21st Century" in March 1999. For updated information on that conference see Conference Card #0003 in our World-Wide Conference and Seminar Diary

Articles by Dr. Perry can be found in our Lincolnshire Post-Polio Library. See the catalogue for:
Perry, Jacquelin, M.D., D.Sc. (Hon)