channel24.pk – Polio or poliomyelitis is a disease caused by the Polio virus. Polio is a life-threatening disease because the virus spreads easily from person to person. Adults and children can potentially be affected by polio. However, children under 5 years old have a greater risk of getting it.
There are 3 variations of poliovirus called Strain 1 Brunhilde, Strain 2 Lansig, Strain 3 Leon belonging to the Picornaviridae family. Polio viruses can be Sabin vaccine polio virus, wild polio virus/WPV (Wild Polio Virus) and VDPV (Vaccine Derived Poliovirus). VDPV is a polio virus that has mutated and can cause paralysis.
Wild polio types 2 and 3 have been eradicated or no longer exist. Meanwhile, type 1 wild polio only exists in some parts of the world. Type 1 polio most likely causes paralysis. The incubation period for the polio virus lasts 3-6 days. Then, paralysis will occur around 7-21 days. source by https://scrubcapdesigns.com/ .
Symptoms of Polio
Most people infected with the polio virus will have no visible symptoms. Meanwhile, 1 in 4 people (or 25 out of 100 people) with polio virus infection will have flu-like symptoms including:
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Nauseous
- Headache
- Stomach ache
- Stiffness in the neck
- Leg pain
The above conditions can last 2-5 days. Then, it will disappear by itself. Symptoms will progress to more serious ones affecting the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms of the disease depend on the type of polio virus that infected the sufferer. Some can cause meningitis (infection covering the spinal cord/brain), paralysis (unable to move parts of the body).
Paralysis is the most serious symptom of the polio virus because it can cause permanent disability and death. Patients who experience paralysis due to the polio virus die because the virus affects the muscles so they cannot breathe. Children who appear to recover completely may develop new muscle pain, weakness, or paralysis as adults. This condition can be called post-polio syndrome. Get more information at https://www.thepatriotmilitia.com/ .
We can differentiate the symptoms of polio into several groups:
- Non-paralytic Polio: Polio that can cause you to vomit, muscle weakness, fever, meningitis, headaches, hands, neck, back, stiffness and pain.
- Paralytic Polio: Polio can cause fever, headaches, loss of body reflexes, weak hands and feet, and muscle weakness.
- Post-Polio Syndrome: When polio symptoms return after a polio infection, this condition causes difficulty concentrating, breathing or swallowing, muscle weakness, depression, fatigue easily, and decreased body muscle mass.
- Polioencephalitis: A rare type of polio that mostly affects babies, causing swelling of the brain.
Prevention Efforts with Polio Vaccine
There is no cure for polio until now. How to prevent polio, including with a vaccine against the polio virus. There are 4 types of vaccines that can prevent polio:
- Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), an effective vaccine that provides long-term protection so that it is effective in stopping transmission of the virus. The vaccine is administered orally or via drops in the mouth.
- Monovalent Oral Polio Vaccines (mOPV1 and mOPV3), this type of vaccine provides immune protection against polio viruses type 1 (mOPV1) and type 3 (mOPV3) and was licensed in 2005 and finally elicited an immune response against other serotypes.
- Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV), Trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine was then replaced with Bivalem Oral Polio Virus Vaccine (bOPV) in April 2016 to prevent polio better against polio virus types 1 and 3 than trivalent OPV. Unfortunately it does not provide immunity against type 2 polio virus.
- Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), a vaccine containing polio virus strains type 1-3 which is inactivated or contains an inactive virus. Vaccination is done in the leg or arm.
Polio vaccine administration will be adjusted based on age. Generally one dose of polio vaccine is given at ages, 2, 4, 6 and 18 months, between 4 and 6 years). The polio vaccine can protect children by preparing the body/natural immune system to fight the polio virus.
