FREE ORAL POLIO DROPS CAMP

Pulse Polio is an immunisation campaign established by the government of India to eliminate poliomyelitis (polio) in India by vaccinating all children under the age of five years against the polio virus. The project fights poliomyelitis through a large-scale, pulse vaccination programme and monitoring for polio cases.

'Dr. Nivedita Kapoor is a Pediatrician with around 11 years of experience in Pediatrics and Neonatology. She is an MBBS, DCH. (Pediatrics) by Education. She is currently attached as a visiting consultant Pediatrician with Fortis Multispeciality Hospital and Tripathi Multispeciality Hospital. She has worked with reputed Hospitals in Noida like Apollo Hospitals. She has written various articles on parenting issues and childhood problems on various online portals and magazines.'

facts on polio

Here are some key points about polio. More detail and supporting information is in the main article.

• Polio is caused by the poliovirus.
• The vast majority of polio infections present no symptoms.
• Polio has been eradicated in every country of the world except for Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• Pregnant women are more susceptible to polio.
• Around half of the people who have had polio go on to develop post-polio syndrome                                           
  

What is polio?

Jonas Salk, featured on this 1999 stamp, pioneered the polio vaccine.

Polio is a viral infection that can cause paralysis and death in its most severe forms.

It can spread easily from person to person.

The World Health Organiation (WHO) aim is to eradicate polio completely and, if this happens, it will be only the third disease to have been beaten in this way, after smallpox and rinderpest.

Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are the only three countries in which polio has not successfully been stopped. The reach and spread, however, has been reduced in these areas over time.

The WHO hopes to achieve the complete eradication of polio by 2018.

Symptoms

Polio, in its most severe forms, can cause paralysis and death. However, most people with polio do not display any symptoms or become noticeably sick. When symptoms do appear, they differ depending on the type of polio.

Symptomatic polio can be broken down further into a mild form, called non-paralytic or abortive polio, and a severe form called paralytic polio that occurs in around 1 percent of cases.

Many people with non-paralytic polio make a full recovery. Unfortunately, those with paralytic polio generally develop permanent paralysis.

Non-paralytic polio symptoms

Non-paralytic polio, also called abortive poliomyelitis, leads to flu-like symptoms that last for a few days or weeks. These include:

•             fever

•             sore throat

•             headache

•             vomiting

•             fatigue

•             back and neck pain

•             arm and leg stiffness

•             muscle tenderness and spasms

•             meningitis, an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain

Paralytic polio symptoms

Paralytic polio affects only a small percentage of those invaded by the polio virus. In these cases, the virus enters motor neurons where it replicates and destroys the cells. These cells are in the spinal cord, brain stem, or motor cortex, which is an area of the brain important in controlling movements.

Symptoms of paralytic polio often start in a similar way to non-paralytic polio, but later progress to more serious symptoms such as:

•             a loss of muscle reflexes

•             severe muscle pain and spasms

•             loose or floppy limbs that are often worse on one side of the body

Paralytic polio may also be classified as:

•             Spinal polio: The virus attacks motor neurons in the spinal cord that causes paralysis in the arms and legs, and breathing problems.

•             Bulbar polio: The virus affects the neurons responsible for sight, taste, swallowing, and breathing.

•             Bulbospinal polio: The virus causes symptoms of both spinal and bulbar polio.