General Strike.

[torius]

5. Rs would say it's a hoax

if the polio epidemic were now. They'd refuse to take even basic measures, and go around spreading it.

From CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/polio/what-is-polio/polio-us.html

Polio Once Caused Widespread Panic

In the late 1940s, polio outbreaks in the U.S. increased in frequency and size, disabling an average of more than 35,000 people each year. Parents were frightened to let their children go outside, especially in the summer when the virus seemed to peak. Travel and commerce between affected cities were sometimes restricted. Public health officials imposed quarantines (used to separate and restrict the movement of well people who may have been exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become ill) on homes and towns where polio cases were diagnosed.