Polio is a crippling disease that can eventually lead to death. Some of the most famous people in the world suffered from the disease, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Salk vaccine helped eradicate most cases of polio in the United States when it was first widely used in 1962. The disease became a worry of the past in vast regions of the world. It was not completely eradicated, though, as many third-world countries could not fund such widespread use of the vaccine.
Recent outbreaks of Polio have been reported Read the rest of this entry »
Polio is a debilitating viral infection that affects the spinal cord. Muscular atrophy and paralysis are the most common results of contracting the disease. The disease is spread through fecal matter contact and occasionally the saliva of an infected person. Toddlers and young children living in areas with poor hygiene and contaminated water supplies are most likely to be infected. Paralysis is typical in elderly cases.
Contrary to popular belief, the virus only stays in the body for a short period of time. It is Read the rest of this entry »
Polio is extremely contagious from person to person and is responsible for multiple worldwide epidemics. The virus spreads most easily in areas where sanitation is poor, but it has the potential to spread even in extremely clean environments. Polio is primarily spread through contact with infected feces, known as fecal-oral transmission, and contact with infected saliva, called oral-oral-transmission.
Fecal-Oral Transmission
The virus replicates in the intestines and is shed in the feces of infected individuals for two to four weeks or longer. People become infected when they drink water contaminated with infected sewage, eat food washed or Read the rest of this entry »
Paralyzed Muscle Groups
Poliomyelitis in its paralytic form has initial symptoms including difficulty urinating, weak muscles, headache and fever. Within a few days of the first symptoms, patients develop paralysis from this viral infection. The spinal column is most often affected by poliomyelitis causing weakness in the limbs either symmetrically or asymmetrically. Occasionally, the bulbar region of the brain stem is infected instead causing symptoms of facial weakness including difficulty with swallowing leading to mucous buildup and suffocation. Read the rest of this entry »
A contagious viral disease that can cause paralysis and death in its most severe cases, polio comes in a few different forms. Depending on which form a person has, symptoms can vary.
People who are infected with nonparalytic polio do not experience paralysis. However, they do experience flu-like symptoms that are similarly experienced with other viral illnesses. Flu-like signs may include fever, vomiting, headache, sore throat, back and neck pain or stiffness, pain or stiffness in the arms and legs, fatigue, muscle soreness or spasms, and meningitis.
Paralytic polio can Read the rest of this entry »