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.