2024-03-14 19:44:19
Paul Alexander lived with and in an iron lung for 72 years. Now the well-known polio patient has died – from Corona.
Paul Alexander, known worldwide as “Polio Paul”, is dead. The Texan lived in the so-called iron lung, a huge ventilator, for 72 years – probably the last person alive. According to media reports, a corona infection led to his death at the age of 78. He died in the presence of his family in Dallas, Texas.
Iron lung: “Polio-Paul” suffered from polio as a child
At the age of six, Paul Alexander contracted polio. The polio virus gripped the United States in the 1950s. Paul survived the terrible infectious disease through a tracheostomy. And only with the help of the iron lung was “Polio-Paul” able to live on and lead a relatively normal life. He worked as a lawyer for years.
Child paralysis (polio)
Polio is a highly contagious infectious disease that primarily affects children. The virus is transmitted through personal contact and is most commonly found in contaminated water. The pathogen attacks the central nervous system and often causes paralysis and sometimes death.
The Iron Lung is a huge steel pressure chamber that was developed in the USA around 1920. Using negative pressure, polio patients are able to breathe. Nowadays there are also positive pressure masks that take over artificial breathing. However, Paul Alexander had gotten used to his machine.