Martha Lillard, last known US polio survivor using iron lung, dies aged 78

Martha Lillard, a symbol of polio's impact and the medical advancements that followed, passed away at 78, marking the end of an era. She contracted polio at age five and spent most of her life reliant on an iron lung, a testament to both the disease's severity and the life-saving technology of the time. Her death signifies the last of a generation that lived through the polio epidemic before widespread vaccination. This moment is significant as it underscores the near eradication of polio due to global vaccination efforts.