Polio Transmission and Prevention

Polio Transmission and Prevention

Polio Transmission

Polio is excreted from the body through its fecal matter, in other words, it is transmitted through feacal-oral route. Poor hygiene such as not washing hands or drinking of contaminated water can cause the spread of disease and the reentry of virus into the body. The virus can multiply in the intestine and act on brainstem and spinal cord causing paralytic symptoms (WHO). 

Polio Life Cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2015, from http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/bio/hale/bioT_EID/lectures/poliolifecycle.html

Treatment

According to MayoClinic, polio is one of the disease that has no cure once the disease is contracted. However, there is a supportive treatment, which includes actions such as resting in bed, carrying out physical exercises in order to limit the deformation and function of muscles, respiratory exercises and use of ventilators to assist breathing as polio can weaken the respiratory muscles, and taking medications as needed for pain as well as having a balanced diet (Mayo Clinic, 2014).

Prevention

As discussed in the earlier post, vaccination against poliovirus is the best preventative measure for polio. Nicole Green from KidsHealth organization mentions the success of IPV (inactivated polio vaccination) over OPV (oral polio vaccine) as few paralytic cases in 1979 occurred with OPV immunization. IPV is the preventative method used in United States and according to KidsHealth organization and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the IPV should be administered to children three times in their lifetime, before 18 months and between 4 to 6 years. This requirement is highly enforced when individuals are traveling outside of United States to areas where polio is still present (Green, 2014)

Global Transmission and Prevention

According to GlobalPolioEradicationInitiative organization, polio cases in 2014 were present in countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, Equatorial Guinea, Iraq, Cameroon, Syrian Arab Republic, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Madagascar. The number of cases is fully outlined in the chart below (The Global Polio Eradication Initiative). 

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative. (2015, June 17). Polio this week. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx  

Some of these countries face poverty and social violence that prevents the children from becoming immunized. This matter further outlined in the video with the link provided below that discusses the difficulties certain nationalities (such as Pakistan) face when it comes to immunization. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGOMfAtE7Lk

My Opinion

I believe that vaccination against poliovirus should be mandatory for every individual and more attention should be given to funding the immunization programs. If polio vaccine can cause 99% decrease since 1988 in the number of cases reported, according to World Health Organization, then every child should be allowed equal access to the vaccination. Poverty and violence should not be the reasons for a child being at risk for polio because of limited access to its vaccination. An organization such GlobalPolioEradicationInitiatve that also cooperates with government should seek funds and volunteers to help vaccinate children in undeveloped nations (WHO).


Sources:

Green, N. (2014). Polio. Retrieved June 9, 2015, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/polio.html#

Mayo Clinic. (2014, March 11). Polio. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/polio/basics/treatment/con-20030957

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative. (2015, June 17). Polio this week. Retrieved June 18, 2015, from http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx

World Health Organization (WHO). (2014, October 1). Poliomyelitis. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs114/en/