polio
Poliomyelitis is a viral disease that may affect the spinal cord and cause muscle weakness and paralysis. The polio virus enters the body through the mouth, usually through hands contaminated with the faeces of the infected person. Polio is more common in infants and young children and occurs under conditions of poor hygiene. Paralysis is more common and more severe when the infection occurs in older individuals.
The number of polio cases dropped dramatically in the United States after the introduction of the polio vaccine in 1955 and the development of the National Immunization Program. The last cases of polio that occurred naturally in the United States in 1979. Most of the world’s population are in areas considered free from the wild poliovirus. Travelers to countries where poliomyelitis cases are still to be fully immunized should include Africa, South-East Asia and the Middle East.
How poliomyelitis spreads
Polio is spread when a stool is delivered from an infected person to someone else’s mouth through polluted water or food (the passage of the stool to the mouth) or by oral transmission by passing saliva from an infected person to someone else’s mouth.
The case of infection reaches its peak seven to ten days after symptoms appear in the patient. However, infections are likely to occur as long as the virus is present in the throat and stool. The virus remains in the throat for about a week after the onset of the disease and excreted in the stool for three to six weeks, and the incubation period is usually six to 20 days from the range of three to 35 days.
What are the symptoms of polio
95 percent of people with polio have no symptoms. However, infected people can not be infected with the virus, causing polio to others. About 4-5% of the patients have simple symptoms such as fever, muscle weakness, headaches, nausea and vomiting. One to two percent of infected people may develop the development of muscle pain with severe stiffness in the neck and back. Less than one percent of polio cases lead to paralysis.
Polio complications
Polio-related complications include legs, paralysis of the breathing muscles and swallowing and can be fatal, and for polio treatment at present there is no cure for polio. Treatment includes supportive care only.