Polio

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History

Poliomyelitis, or polio, is an illness contrived from suffering under a certain type of poliovirus. Poliovirus affects nerves and thereby induces partial or full paralysis. Polio has an extensive history dating back to the late 1700s, when the first description of polio was recorded. In the United States, the epidemic had its first outbreak in the mid 1800s. The disease spread rapidly, killing 6,000 and paralyzing 27,000 in 1916. Before vaccines came into use, there was a period during which many precautions were taken to manually prevent the spread of polio. Environments were sanitized impeccably but, unfortunately, this did not allow the immune system to learn to protect itself through natural exposure and worsened the situation. The inactivated polio vaccine was manufactured and distributed in 1955. Following that, the oral polio vaccine came into existence in 1961. Since then there has been a steady decrease in cases from 350,000 cases in 1988 to 650 in 2011. 

[polio1114-blog]

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Symptoms

According to WHO, 90% of infected people show little to no symptoms. If there are symptoms, they include “fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, and stiffness” in the early stages. The danger lies in polio spreading without any notice until paralysis. Acute flaccid paralysis is one type of paralysis that affects mostly the legs by destroying nerve cells that activate muscles, rendering the limbs incapable of functioning. Bulbar polio is the other type and it attacks the trunk and muscles of the thorax and abdomen, sometimes resulting in quadriplegia. In some cases of bulbar polio, the nerve cells in the brain stem are compromised, which implicates breathing; 5-10% of those with such breathing problems die. 

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The Final Inch

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Transmission and Treatment

Once contracted, there is no cure to polio, which is why so many seek to attack the disease preemptively. The target group is generally children under 5-years-old, but it is possible to get infected at any age just through contact. It spreads by entering the mouth, growing inside, and then leaving the body through waste, at which point it can get to the rest of a community. The danger is that since some do not show symptoms, they are unaware that they are infecting others. The way to cease the spread is to vaccinate children so that there is nowhere for the disease to travel. The polio vaccine must be given several times to ensure that a child will no longer be at risk for contracting the virus. 

[polio1114-blog]

by Jason Beaubien

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At Risk Populations

Endemic

Afghanistan

Nigeria

Pakistan

Returning

Democratic Republic of Congo

Chad

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by Jackie Northam