Getting polio

This task is about adding words to a text so that it makes sense.
 
getting polio

Source: School Journal Part I, 1983.
(Text altered)

The following piece of writing has some spaces where words are missing.
 
First, read the whole piece of writing through to get an idea of what it is about. Then fill each space with ONE word so that the whole piece of writing makes sense. You are able to change answers as you go.

When you have filled in all the spaces, re-read the text to check that the whole piece of writing makes sense.

Question 1Change answer

Getting polio
 
These days if you came home from school with a headache and a sore neck, people would probably think that you 1 the meningitis. But years ago, a 2 and a sore neck might have 3 something else. You might have 4 poliomyelitis (polio). Polio was a serious 5 that children caught more often than 6. Mostly, these children got better quickly 7 themselves. But sometimes the disease became 8 worse. When this happened the muscles 9 the children's arms and legs would 10 working – they were paralysed. The children 11 caught polio and became paralysed went 12 hospital. Nurses massaged and skilfully moved 13 arms and legs. The children sometimes 14 exercises in special hot water baths. 15 their legs were very weak, they 16 needed iron braces to help them 17. Usually, the paralysed arms and legs 18 got better. It frequently took 19 months of treatment before they were 20 completely.