Polio scares in the early '70s?

[mejane]

When I was a nipper everyone used to swim in the local river until when I was about 5 or 6 (1972-3) there was apparently a polio scare and no-one was allowed to swim there again (the council put up barbed wire to prevent us pesky kids gaining access). IIRC, the scare was started by the sight of a snake in the river.

I accepted this as gospel truth at the time, but it now seems incredibly unlikely.

Did anyone else hear anything similar?

Jane.

 

[SmirnoffMule]

This might be a stupid question, but why would the sight of a snake in the river start a polio scare?

My dad (insanely paranoid about health) wouldn't let my mum take us to public swimming pools in the early 80s, which I'm guessing was for a similar reason, although maybe it was just the general un-hygiene of swimming in a cocktail of toddler's piss and chlorine.

 

[mejane]

This might be a stupid question, but why would the sight of a snake in the river start a polio scare?

I've often wondered that myself. Because snakes are scary? I don't know!

Jane.

 

[OneWingedBird]

I guess it was before that infomercial featuring the Death figure scared children witless about even thinking of going near a river?

 

[Anonymous]

Polio lives in the soil... Ian Drury i ws told caught it in a swimming pool in Cornwall... i think its always around just attacks when defences are low..or is an infection that can attack variouse systems and not alwasy that bad.