Polio
What is Polio?
It is disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can infect a person's spinal cord, causing paralysis.
What are the symptoms of polio?
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Nausea
- Headache
- Stomach Pain
- Tiredness
How is Polio transmitted?
Poliovirus only infects people and it only spreads through:
- Food or drinks contaminated with the feces of an infected person
- Droplets from a sneeze or a cough of an infected person
Treatment
There is no cure for polio, only treatment to alleviate the symptoms. through:
- Physical therapy to stimulate the muscles
- Medications to relax the muscles
Prevention of Polio
It is recommended that children get 4 doses of polio vaccine to protect against polio as part of the series of routine childhood vaccines.
Children should get one dose at each of the following ages:
- 2 months old
- 4 months old
- 6 months old
- 18 months old
- 5 through 6 years old
What Are the Types of Polio Vaccine?
- Oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV): It is given orally in the form of drops
- Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV): it is given as an injection in the leg or arm
Do you know that:
- Two doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) are 90% effective or more against paralytic polio.
- Three doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) are 99% to 100% effective.