Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help to care for the estimated 47,000 people affected by polio in the UK.

Although there is currently no cure for post-polio syndrome, a range of treatments and support is available to help manage the symptoms and improve quality of life.

Once post-polio syndrome is identified, patients with the condition can usually be managed through routine access to primary or secondary care provided via a general practitioner or consultant. Treatment will depend on the severity of a patient’s condition, but may involve pain-relieving medication, physiotherapy, dietary and exercise advice, and counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy.

Commissioners, providers and clinicians, supported by relevant clinical practice, determine the best treatment for people with post-polio syndrome.