Imagine it's April 24th, 195, and Pocatello, Idaho. You and your seven-year-old

daughter Susan are sitting in an exam room at her

pediatrician's office. The room smells of rubbing alcohol and floor polish. You hold your daughter next to you,

her face drawn, her arm hanging uselessly by her side. And at last, the doctor enters the room,

his gaze fixed on his clipboard.

All right, let's see, when did this start?

You take a deep breath and run your fingers through Susan's hair, trying to stay calm for her sake.

Yesterday, it began with a little neck stiffness, but by nighttime she had a fever.

When she woke up this morning, she couldn't move her left arm.

Is this what I think it is? Does she have polio?

The doctor examines her quietly, moving her head, tapping her knees, testing her grip.

You try to read his face, but it stays blank.

That certainly seems that way, but we'll have to do a spinal tap to confirm.

How could this happen?

She was vaccinated for polio only a few days ago,

just as past Monday. Was there something wrong with the vaccine? I followed last year's field trials closely. The vaccine is safe. It may not be perfect, but it's not dangerous. So what

happened? Susan was probably exposed to the polio virus just before she received her injection.

I'm sorry to say, this is just a case of bad timing. The vaccine was unfortunately just too late to protect her. That doesn't

make any sense. I don't know of anyone else who's sick with polio. There have been no other cases

in Susan's class. It's April. I've never heard of anyone getting polio this early in the year.

Polio season usually starts when it warms up in June.

Yes, but viruses don't always follow the calendar. You know, let's not jump to conclusions. We can confirm the diagnosis first, and I'll keep a close eye on things, make sure that Susan receives the best care possible.

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