Polio, a highly contagious viral infection that can cause paralysis and death, has been eradicated in Canada for decades thanks to widespread vaccination efforts.

There is no cure for polio; it can only be prevented, and doctors warn if vaccine rates continue to decline as they have in recent years, it could open the door to a return of the virus in Canada.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Pat Murray, a polio survivor who contracted the disease at just nine months old.

“It’s heartbreaking.”

Murray was diagnosed in Winnipeg in 1953, at the height of the polio epidemic.

She was told her neighbour’s daughter shared her lollipop with her and her sister. Both got very sick with the virus.

“My dad told me that when I was in bed, I could only move my head from side to side — the rest of my body was limp,” Murray said.

While many people infected with the virus experience mild or no symptoms, others develop more serious complications, including permanent disability. In severe cases, polio can lead to paralysis, muscle weakness, and in some cases, death.