Understanding polio

By Daily News Reporter.

POLIO is shortened from poliomyelitis; it is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus.

It is discovered that about 0.5 per cent of the cases of polio move from the guts to affect the central nervous system and there is muscle weakness resulting in a flaccid paralysis. Further explanation indicates that polio is a contagious viral illness that in its most severe form causes nerve injury leading to paralysis, difficulty in breathing and sometimes death. According to scientific research, polio mainly affects children below the age of five years. However, any person who has not been vaccinated against polio is at risk of the disease.

Poliovirus can be transmitted through direct contact with someone infected with the virus or, less commonly, through contaminated food and water.A person carrying the poliovirus can spread the virus for weeks in his/her fecal matter. A person who has the virus but doesn’t have symptoms can also pass it to others.

Today, despite worldwide efforts to wipe out polio, poliovirus continues to affect children and adults in parts of Asia and Africa. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise people to seriously take needed precautions to protect themselves from polio if they are traveling where there is a risk of the disease. Scientific advice is that: “Adults who have been vaccinated who plan to travel to an area where polio is occurring should receive a booster dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV). Immunity after a booster lasts a lifetime.’’

The Mayo Clinic guides the following as some of the signs and symptoms of polio. Signs and symptoms which can last up to 10 days include:•     Fever.

•     Sore throat.

•     Headache.

•     Vomiting.

•     Fatigue.

•     Back pain or stiffness.

•     Neck pain or stiffness.

•     Pain or stiffness in the arms or legs.

•     Muscle weakness or tenderness.

•     Paralytic polio.

This most serious form of the disease is rare. Initial signs and symptoms of paralytic polio, such as fever and headache, often mimic those of non-paralytic polio. Within a week, however, other signs and symptoms appear, including:

•     Loss of reflexes.

•     Severe muscle aches or weakness.

•     Loose and floppy limbs (flaccid paralysis).

•     Post-polio syndrome.

Post-polio syndrome is a cluster of disabling signs and symptoms that affect some people years after having polio. Common signs and symptoms include:•     Progressive muscle or joint weakness and pain.

•     Fatigue.

•     Muscle wasting (atrophy).

•     Breathing or swallowing problems.

•     Sleep-related breathing disorders, such as sleep apnea.

•     Decreased tolerance of cold temperatures.

According to the Ministry of Health recent reports, ‘’Zambia had made a lot of progress in eradicating polio as the last indigenous case was only recorded in 1995 in Lusaka Province.’’

The report clarifies that the cases that were recorded in 2001 and 2002 in Western Province were just imported from one of Zambia’s neighbouring countries.

‘’In 2005 the African Ratification Commission for Polio Eradication endorsed Zambia as being free from world polio virus. A status that the country has maintained to date and we remain proud of this. And it is our resolve to ensure that we maintain the same status,’’ reads another report from the Ministry of Health.

In September 2019, there was a case of polio recorded in a two-year-old child in Chiengi district of Luapula Province. And again, it was said to be imported from a named neighbouring country, including the one that was reported two months later in Chavuma district of North-Western province. At the moment, Zambia has no cases of polio but people should not relax but continue taking their children for vaccines and and observe all preventive measures as guided by health workers.