A nation is made up of the healthy and fit residents thereof; those who are unable to move or are handicapped lessen the percentage of working population of a nation. A report has been published in media today, stating that about 2% of USA population that amounts to 5.5 million Americans is paralyzed or partly paralyzed, due to either a stroke, or a spinal injury. This is alarmingly high percentage, and is much higher than was thought.

This research was funded by The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, and was conducted by Anthony Cahill, director of the division of disability and health policy of the University of New Mexico, and his colleagues.

A survey was prepared by the team with the help of experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and leading disability specialists. This survey of 33000 US household was designed to estimate the number of people who suffered some kind of paralysis.

In this telephonic survey, people were asked if any of their family member suffered difficulty in limbs movement, and the causes thereof. In the final analysis, only those entries were considered whose cause was a spinal injury, cerebral palsy, stroke or multiple sclerosis, etc. Other causes such as arthritis were not considered in the analysis.

Results showed that 29% of the suffering Americans got paralyzed due to a stroke, and 23% because of a spinal injury. 50% of them suffered great difficulty while moving limbs. Accidents are another reason. This report is alarming, as the number of disabled people is increasingly raised. Safety measures, as well as general awareness are highly needed.