Polio is one of the dangerous diseases caused by viral infection, Poliovirus (the virus that caused polio) may be easily spread and is highly contagious. In some chronic cases, polio may lead to paralysis, difficulty breathing or even death. It is difficult to identify polio during the first phase of infection due to its asymptomatic behaviour. Poliovirus can be spread through air and food contaminated by the virus and also from direct contact with an infected person.

Polio can be classified based on their symptoms, which are paralytic polio, non-paralytic polio and post-polio syndrome.

Non-paralytic polio
Non-paralytic polio hardly leads to paralysis. The symptoms are mild, including flu, fever, sore throat, headache, fatigue, muscle pain or weakness and meningitis.

Paralytic polio
Paralytic polio may lead to paralysis that affects spinal cord (spinal polio), brainstem (bulbar polio), or both (bulbospinal polio). The symptoms are similar to non-paralytic polio, followed by some additional symptoms, such as loss of reflexes, severe muscle pain, and floppy limbs on just one side of the body.

Post-polio syndrome
This type of polio causes paralysis to the body after the virus infection has passed. It has several symptoms, such as muscle pain and weakness, easily exhausted after light activities, muscle shrinkage, swallowing and breathing difficulties, having difficulties in adapting to colder temperatures, cognitive problems like hard to remember and easily lost concentration, or mood swings and depression.

Two vaccines may be used to prevent the infection of the poliovirus, which are:

1. Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)
2. Oral Poliovirus Vaccine (OPV).

IPV is commonly being injected through leg or arm, depends on the patient’s age. Recommended polio vaccine doses for children are:

• First dose is given on 2 months after birth
• Second dose is given on 4 months after birth
• Third dose is given on 6 -18 months after birth
• Booster dose is given on 4-6 years.

In general, adults do not need polio vaccine, especially those who had it when they were children. However, there are some cases of polio infection in adults. The possibilities of being exposed to poliovirus rise particularly when they travelled to some countries that were being infected by polio, or got infected in the labs that contain some specimen of poliovirus, or having intensive direct contact with polio patients.

If the adults are living in high-risk conditions as stated above, it is recommended to get vaccinated as follow:

• First dose can be injected at any time.
• Second dose can be injected on 1 to 2 months after first dose given
• Third dose can be injected on 6 to 12 months after second dose given

Polio infection can severely harm people’s lives, especially a chronic one. It can lead to paralysis and even death. Therefore, people should know about its first symptoms and signs, so that initial treatments can be implemented as soon as possible. The best way to prevent polio is with vaccinations.

Text by Rezky Zakiri
Stock photos from Google Search Images

Source(s):

• Mayo Clinic - Polio. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/polio/basics/causes/con-20030957, September 15, 2018.
• Vaccine.gov - Polio. https://www.vaccines.gov/diseases/polio, September 15, 2018.
• CDC - Polio Vaccination. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/polio/index.html, September 15, 2018.
• Poliovirus Vaccine, Inactivated (Injection Route). http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/poliovirus-vaccine-inactivated-injection-route/before-using/drg-20069860, September 15, 2018.