COVID-19 another severe chapter in history

Polio, the Spanish Flu, and the the swine flu have all had significant impacts over the past 100 years.

Opinion

March 20, 2020 - 3:04 PM

Photo by Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman/TNS

A few thoughts while awaiting coronavirus:

Bob Johnson, Register Reporter

— The only time I have had similar health concerns was in the early 1950s when polio was so pervasive.

The debilitating virus had been around for decades. In 1952, it reached epic proportions: 58,000 cases in the U.S. and 3,145 deaths.

That October, Jerine Puckett of rural Humboldt contracted polio at age 16.

Though most cases weren’t severe; Jerine’s was. She was placed in an iron lung to help her breathe.

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