Kinkini Gupta
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Written By: Kinkini Gupta | Updated : June 16, 2022 3:56 PM IST
It's important to note that the global health landscape is constantly evolving. The situation regarding polio eradication may have changed since my last update in September 2023. For the most current information on polio eradication efforts, it is advisable to refer to the latest reports and data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other authoritative sources.
Polio is a life-threatening disease caused by a virus. It was once one of the most feared diseases in the world, but the creation of a vaccine in the 1950s ended the threat. The term polio has been coined as a short form of poliomyelitis. the vaccine was invented because polio only spreads among people who are not vaccinated. polio mainly attacks the spinal cord and brain. it can cause partial or full paralysis. the disease was eradicated after the invention of the vaccine. there were only 33 cases of polio worldwide in 2018. while almost all the countries have gotten rid of this disease, some countries still have it. And any unvaccinated person who comes into contact with the virus can get it. Recently, there has been a sudden rise is polio cases. Eight cases have now been reported in children over the past month in the district of Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan.
Reports suggest that this recent spike in the number of cases is because the residents of the country falsely mark themselves and their children as vaccinated. The vaccine refusal rate is also very high in those regions. This makes them vulnerable to an endemic disease. The government has launched an investigation into this case.
Symptoms of polio might not show in the initial stages, vaccinated people do not show symptoms at all as they are immune to it. Some mild symptoms might show in some cases, like:
The above symptoms will only show in the first week. By the second week, the more severe symptoms will start which have a chance of causing paralysis.
If you have polio, your doctor will focus on making sure that you're comfortable and try to prevent any other health issues. Some treatments and tools for support include:
The most severe symptom associated with polio is paralysis and eventually death. It is fatal for people who have not taken the vaccine. Between 2 and 10 out of 100 people who have paralysis from poliovirus infection die, because the virus affects the muscles that help them breathe. In some cases, if a person does not die because of it, they will be paralyzed for life. Even children who seem to fully recover can develop new muscle pain, weakness, or paralysis as adults, 15 to 40 years later. This is called post-polio syndrome.
