New York state health officials warned last week , hundreds of people may have been infected with the polio virus, according to recent wastewater testing results from different counties in New York state.
We asked Dean Bloomberg, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, about the spinal cord Polio and what we need to know.
Was polio not eradicated? Why is polio resurgence?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) For example, polio infections peaked in the United States in 1952, with more than 21,000 cases causing paralysis. The first polio vaccine was introduced in the United States in 1955, and the vaccine was very successful.
We have not seen a case of polio spreading in the Western Hemisphere since 1991, despite a few imported cases. With Immunization rates have declined in the U.S. and around the world due to the pandemic. In many parts of the world, polio remains a threat and children are not vaccinated.
What are the symptoms of polio?
Polio is a viral infection. Most polio cases have no symptoms at all, or very mild symptoms, including fever, headache, and nausea, that go away after a few days.
A small number of cases, maybe 3% or 4%, may progress and lead to meningitis, which is the lining of the brain inflammation. Meningitis can be very scary, but this type of meningitis is usually well tolerated and most people recover.
However, in less than 1% of cases, polio causes paralysis. It infects parts of the spinal cord, specific cells of the spinal cord that control our movement. If these cells become infected, it can cause paralysis in various parts of the body. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 200 infections result in irreversible paralysis.
Who is at risk for polio?
Those who are not vaccinated against polio will face Risk of contracting polio. It can affect anyone at any age who has not been vaccinated against polio, not just children.
How is polio spread?
Polio is very contagious. Almost all children contract polio at some point before vaccination.
It is spread through the nose and throat through the respiratory tract and someone gets infected a few weeks later.
It can also be spread through infected feces. Polio can survive in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract for several weeks. Good hygiene is key.
Is there a test to diagnose polio?
Yes, we can detect children with throat samples Paralysis, stool, and occasionally cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Are vaccines safe for children? Inactivated polio vaccine, said For IPV, it is a very safe and effective vaccine with few side effects. It can cause mild fever and irritation (pain, redness and swelling at the injection site). It’s usually combined with other vaccines in the same syringe, so you don’t usually need an extra shot to get it.
When will the polio vaccine be given?
Polio vaccine in four-dose series administered to children as part of the routine vaccine program recommended by the CDC at:
- 2 months old
4 months old
6-18 months old
4-6 years old
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: Seven Things About Polio (8 August 2022), Retrieved 22 August 2022 from https://medicalxpress. com/news/2022-08-polio.html
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