This is not the first time a "paralysis as punishment" sentence has made headlines in Saudi Arabia.

CNN: SHARE THIS

Haiti's political instability before and after the country's elections in November contributed to that paralysis, she says, and it took time to choose which neighbourhoods should be cleared first - a decision that has now been made.

BBC: Why has so little of Haiti's rubble been cleared?

This act creates new coordinated research activities through the National Institutes of Health that will connect the best minds and best practices from the best labs in the country, and focus their endeavors through collaborative scientific research into the cure for paralysis, saving effort, money, and, most importantly, time.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Signs Major Public Lands Protections

He maintains that the government is reacting to complaints of paralysis by getting its fiscal house in order, which had been postponed for a long time partly because there had not been enough political support.

BBC: Does India have the will to reform its economy?

Doctors at the time seemed unsure about how to treat Mrs Harford's polio, which was then known as infantile paralysis.

BBC: The lifelong fight against polio