Polios’ A Big No-No
Polio (short for Poliomyelitis) is a horrible viral
disease that spreads from one person to
another. The term derives from Greece,
meaning ‘grey’. Individuals affected can
exhibit a range of symptoms if the virus gets
into their blood stream.
Poliomyelitis is highly contagious, via the oraloral (oropharyn source) and faecal-oral
(intestinal- source) routes. The disease enters
the mouth and multiplies in the intestines. It
is then shed into the environment through
faeces, where it can rapidly spread through
the community and infect others.
Polio has been known since ancient Egypt and
possibly before. Before the 20th century polio
had been rarely seen in infants, but had been
seen in older children and adults. Small
localized paralytic polio began to appear in
Europe and the USA around 1900. During the
first half of the 20th century outbreaks
reached proportions in Europe, North
America, Australia and New Zealand. In the
USA, the 1952 polio epidemic became the
nation’s worst outbreak in history.
Sadly, a cure has not yet been found for polio.
Supportive measures include antibiotics to
prevent infections in weakened muscles,
gesics for pain and moderate exercise and a
nutritious diet. Portable ventilators may be
required to support breathing. Today, many
polio survivors with permanent respiratory
paralysis use modern jacket-type negative
pressure ventilators worn over the chest and
abdomen. In countries that carry diseases like
polio are given vaccines to help prevent
people from catching any diseases. James
Salk was the first person to discover and
develop the first successful vaccine for polio.
The Salk vaccine helped alleviate symptoms.
By Charlie Holland yr6
09/08/13
Most people infected (90%) have no
symptoms or very mild symptoms. In others,
initial symptoms include fever, headaches,
nausea, fatigue, vomiting, stiffness and pain in
limbs. People with serious cases of polio will
most likely have deformed limbs; most
commonly the legs are affected.
Better Health says “Polio is a very serious,
infectious disease.” More people should help
find a cure for this ghastly disease by donating
money for research or doing some research
themselves.