POLIOMYELITIS
By: Ben Straitman
Poliomyelitis, often referred to by its street name of polio, is one of the most infectious diseases on the planet. It has plagued the world for centuries, before a vaccine was developed on March 26, 1953 by Dr. Jonas Salk. Symptoms of polio can include “fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs” (2). It can also cause permanent paralysis in a small percentage of cases. A famous example of this paralysis can be seen in the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Polio has no cure and can only be prevented by immunization via Dr. Salk’s vaccine. Polio can be spread by “direct person-to-person contact, contact with infected mucus or phlegm from the nose or mouth, or contact with infected feces” (1).
In 1988 a global effort began to eradicate Polio from the face of the earth to make the world safer for future generations. Since this effort began, Polio incidence has dropped more than 99 percent. Of the 6 regions recognized by the World Health Organization, four have been certified polio-free: the Americas in 1994, the Western Pacific in 2000, Europe in 2002, and in 2014 South East Asia became polio free with the complete eradication of the virus in India. According to the Center for Disease Control, “80% of the world’s people now live in polio-free areas” (3).
However, that still leaves 20% of the world where Polio still exists and can still spread. Unfortunately, it would only take one infected carrier to travel to a different country to cause a resurgence of the disease in another region. Thankfully, there is a vaccine for polio and by immunizing our children against the virus, we can ensure their safety from this debilitating disease and slowly pushing towards complete destruction of it. That’s why vaccinating our children is so important.
References:
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1. Polio. (2017, February 07). Retrieved February 28, 2017, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001402.htm
2. Poliomyelitis (polio). (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2017, from http://www.who.int/topics/poliomyelitis/en/
3. Updates on CDC’s Polio Eradication Efforts. (2016, April 05). Retrieved February 28, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/polio/updates/