Polio is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by a highly contagious virus, as it is easy to spread from person to person, and may infect the spinal cord and cause paralysis, in this article we will learn about the most important things Facts about polio Find out more about this disease.

Polio is a highly contagious virus

polio A highly contagious disease caused by a virus, polio spreads through personal contact and invades the nervous system, which can cause irreversible paralysis within hours. Infection occurs in the following stages:

• The polio virus enters the body through the mouth.
• The virus multiplies in the intestine.
• It then invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis.

Among children with polio, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles stop. (1) (2)

Children can get it at any age

Polio can affect any age, but children under five are more likely to get it. It may also affect adults in the following cases:

• Not vaccinated.
• Low body immunity. (1) (2)

Polio is spread due to poor hygiene

In most cases it spreads Polio virus Because of the lack of attention to hygiene, so we find it more common in societies known for lack of attention to hygiene, which often lack access to basic services such as water and healthcare.

Practices that increase the risk of spreading polio include:

• Didn’t pay attention to hand washing.
• Ingestion of food or water contaminated with feces.

Infants and young children who are not trained in basic personal hygiene and proper bathroom use are often a major source of transmission. (One. Two. Three)

Difficulty identifying symptoms

Most people infected with the polio virus do not show signs of illness and do not realize that they are infected, these people carry the virus in their intestines and can transmit the infection to thousands of others before the appearance of the first polio case.

Therefore, the World Health Organization considers the appearance of one confirmed case of polio as proof of an epidemic, and as long as one child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. (1) (2) (3) (4)

for more: Your Complete Guide to Polio Vaccination

The polio virus does not live long outside the body

The virus cannot survive long periods outside the human body, so if the virus cannot find an unvaccinated person to infect, it will die.

This means that if enough children are fully vaccinated against polio through use Oral polio vaccineor Polio vaccine has been killedThe virus will not be able to find susceptible children, and it will die.

Oral polio vaccine is easily available, which helps protect a child for life, but as long as one child remains infected, all unvaccinated children are at risk.

According to the World Health Organization, failure to eliminate one confirmed case of polio could result in approximately 200,000 new cases each year. (1) (2) (3) (4)

Prevalence of polio worldwide

Because of interest in the polio vaccine in all countries this year, polio cases have decreased by more than 99% since 1988, and as a result of global efforts to eradicate the disease, millions of children around the world have been saved from this disease. . (1) (2) (3) (4)

Polio vaccine doses

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children receive four basic doses of the polio vaccine, with one dose at each of the following ages:

• Two months old.
• 4 months.
• From the age of 6 to 18 months.
• 4 to 6 years old.

Children who have not completed polio vaccinations should see a health professional to complete the vaccination series, and children may be given non-essential doses between these ages to help prevent this infectious virus. (4)

Also read: Children’s vaccines and the harms of vaccine rejection