Introducing the European Polio Union (EPU)
The European Polio Union (EPU) is a European umbrella organisation for national organisations that support people who have had polio and for people that are currently coping with post-polio syndrome (PPS). The EPU aims, by bringing all those organisations together, to strengthen their force, learn from each other, and help each other. In some European countries, the knowledge and treatment of PPS is (much) better than in others, and the aim is to make this more equal all over Europe.
What is Post-Polio Syndrome ?
After the initial acute phase of the polio infection, people “recovered”. They regained the use of muscles or learned to live with paralysis. Some people had operations; others had some sort of physiotherapy or another treatment. They fought hard to regain a “normal live”.
People then go into a phase of neurological and functional stability.
Around 20 to 40 years after the initial polio infection some people start to experience a decline in their health and functionality. This is known as Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS).
News
Eurordis
EPU, as a member of Eurordis, the European alliance for rare diseases, is associated to the survey they have launched on September 11th 2025, about living conditions with such diseases. This is a unique opportunity for Polio survivors to build a shared vision of our lives with polio sequelae and/or ...
Polio Survivors Ireland
Polio Survivors Ireland, originally founded as the Post-Polio Support Group, is the result of two ladies, Joan Bradley and Rosaleen Gallagher, who both had polio. Joan, experiencing unexplained weakness and pain, found her symptoms dismissed by doctors. Around the same time, Rosaleen had just been in the USA and had ...
Healthcare Professionals
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