Description

Polio is a disease caused by a virus that mainly affects the nerves in the spinal cord or the brain stem. In its most severe form, polio can lead a person to be unable to move certain limbs, also called paralysis. It can also lead to difficulty breathing and sometimes death. The disease is also called polio.

A vaccination effort throughout the world has led to only a small number of cases that occur throughout the world in recent years. However, the virus still spreads in the areas with low vaccination rates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes travel warnings for countries where there is a greater risk of polio. Countries with a greater risk of polio are, in general, in Africa, the Middle East and south and central Asia.

Vaccinate adults who plans to travel to an area where polio is spread should receive a booster dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV). Immunity after a booster dose lasts a lifetime.

Symptoms

The majority of people infected with the virus that causes polio, the so-called polio virus, have no symptoms.

The polio abortifacient

About 5% of people with the virus of polio to get a mild version of the disease called polio abortifacient. This leads to flu-like symptoms that last 2 to 3 days. These include:

  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Sore throat
  • The pain of stomach
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting

Polio, non-paralytic

A more severe form of the disease called polio, non-paralytic, affects about 1% of those infected. While the disease lasts for more than a couple of days, it does not cause paralysis. In addition to having more severe flu-like symptoms, polio, non-paralytic symptoms may include:

  • Neck pain or stiffness
  • Pain or stiffness in the arms or legs
  • Severe headache

A second phase of the symptoms you can follow, or that a person may seem to be getting better for a couple of days before the second phase starts. These symptoms include:

  • The stiffness of the spine and neck
  • Decreased reflexes
  • Muscle weakness

Paralytic poliomyelitis

This more severe form of the disease is rare. The disease begins long as polio, non-paralytic. But progresses to a more serious signs and symptoms, including:

  • Severe pain
  • Extreme sensitivity to touch
  • The sensation of tingling or pins and needles sensations
  • Muscle spasms or twitching
  • The muscles of the weakness progressing to paralysis, lameness

Any combination of limbs may experience paralysis. But the paralysis of one leg is most common, followed by paralysis of an arm.

Depending on the severity of the disease, other signs or symptoms may include:

  • The paralysis of the muscles involved in breathing
  • Difficulty swallowing

Post-polio syndrome

Post-polio syndrome is the appearance of new signs or symptoms or the progression of the problems. This usually happens after decades of polio. Common signs and symptoms include:

  • The progressive weakness, muscle or joint pain and the pain
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle atrophy
  • Breathing or swallowing problems
  • Sleep-related breathing disorders, such as sleep apnea
  • Lowered tolerance of cold temperatures

When to see a doctor

The signs and symptoms of polio are similar to other viral diseases that affect the nervous system. It is important to obtain a timely and accurate diagnosis.

If you had the polio before, consult your health care provider if you have new or worsening signs or symptoms.

Causes

Polio is caused by the polio virus. It mainly targets the nerve cells in the spinal cord and the brain stem that control muscle movement. The nerve cells controlling the sensation usually are not affected.

The natural origin of poliovirus, called the wild-type polio virus, has been removed in most of the countries and cause a few cases of polio. Another version of the virus, called vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV), is more widespread and causes the majority of infections in all over the world. VDPV mainly exists in some countries, the use of an oral vaccine with a weakening of the polio virus.

The weakening of the virus in the oral vaccine is not itself the cause of polio, and the vaccinated people rarely contract VDPV . In its place, VDPV is a new version of the virus that develops within a community or region where there are not enough people are vaccinated.

Although the weakened virus in the oral vaccine does not cause the disease, it can spread. If the majority of the people in a community are vaccinated, the spread of the weakened virus is controlled. If many people are not vaccinated, the weakened virus can move through a community over a long time. This gives the virus the opportunity to change, or mutate, and behave as the wild-type virus that causes the disease.

Infections of VDPV have been reported in the united States. In each case, the person is not vaccinated or had a significant weakening of the immune system. A case in New York city in the year 2022, was in a county with a lower than the average of polio vaccination rate. The wastewater samples showed that VDPV extends in some communities.

Since the year 2000, the vaccination against polio in the united States has used an injection of the vaccine with inactivated poliovirus that does not create the risk of VDPV .

How is polio spread

People who carry the polio virus — even people who are not sick, they can pass along the virus in the feces, also called the stools, or the droplets of cough or sneezing. The virus enters another person through the mouth. The virus can easily spread. For example, the virus can spread if people don't wash their hands after coughing, using the bathroom or before eating.

The virus can also be in the water contaminated with feces carry the polio virus.

Risk factors

Polio mainly affects children. But anyone who has not been vaccinated is at risk of contracting the disease.

Complications

Severe illness that affects the ability to breathe and can lead to death. The long-term complications for the people that are retrieved can include:

  • Permanent paralysis
  • Shortening of muscles, which causes the deformation of the bones or joints
  • Chronic pain
  • Post-polio syndrome

Prevention

The most effective way to prevent polio is through vaccination.

The Polio vaccine

The CDC recommends four doses of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) at the following ages:

  • 2 months
  • 4 months
  • Between 6 and 18 months
  • Between the ages of 4 and 6 when children enter the school

If your child misses a dose, talk to your health care provider about a catch-up immunization schedule.

Adult vaccination

In the united states, the majority of adults have immunity against the virus of polio due to childhood vaccination. And adults in the united states have little chance of being exposed to the virus. But the adults who travel to or live in a region with high rates of spread of polio virus should receive the vaccines.

If you had a full course of vaccination, you should get a booster SHOT. You should receive three doses of IPV if they are not vaccinated, you will not receive a full vaccination, or are unsure of your vaccination status.

The IPV schedule for adults is a second dose 1 to 2 months after the first dose. After the third dose 6 to 12 months after the second dose. Talk with your health care provider if you know you have an incomplete vaccination history.

The safety of the vaccine

The VACCINE is safe for people with weakened immune systems, although it is not clear how protective of the vaccine in cases of severe immune deficiency. The common side effects are redness and pain at the injection site.

IPV can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Because the vaccine has traces of the antibiotics streptomycin, polymyxin B, and neomycin, can cause a reaction in people allergic to one of these antibiotics. A person who has a severe reaction to the first dose of IPV is not going to have any more doses.

The signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction usually occurs within minutes to a few hours after the injection. Observe:

  • Skin reactions, including hives and itching and flushed or pale skin
  • Low blood pressure (hypotension)
  • The narrowing of the airways and a swollen tongue or throat, which can cause wheezing and trouble breathing
  • A weak and rapid pulse
  • Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
  • Dizziness or fainting

If you or your child has an allergic reaction after vaccination, get medical help right away.

Diagnosis

Health care providers often recognize the polio symptoms, such as neck and back stiffness or abnormal reflexes, or muscle weakness. To confirm the diagnosis, a laboratory test of a stool sample can detect the polio virus. The virus is found in a throat of the sample only during the first week of the disease. So, a throat is an example of a less reliable source for the test.

A test of the fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord, or spinal fluid, can be used to rule out other diseases of the nervous system.

Treatment

Because there is no cure for polio exists, the focus is on increased comfort, to speed up the recovery and prevention of complications. Depending on the severity of the disease, supportive treatments may include:

  • Bed rest
  • Pain relievers
  • Hot, moist packs to control pain and muscle spasms
  • Portable ventilators to help with breathing
  • Physical therapy exercises to prevent bone deformity and loss of muscle function
  • Splints or other devices to promote the good position, or the alignment of the spine and extremities

Preparing for your appointment

The signs and symptoms of moderate-to-severe polio — beyond the typical flu-like symptoms need immediate attention. The questions that you might be prepared to answer for himself or on behalf of your child are the following:

  • When did the symptoms begin?
  • You have the symptoms progressed or changed since the first time you got sick?
  • It has everything, the improvement or worsening of symptoms?
  • Have you traveled recently? Where?
  • Do you know of any possible exposure to an infectious disease?
  • If you travel, what shots did you get before the trip?
Symptoms and treatment of Polio