Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis often called polio or infantile paralysis. Poliomyelitis comes from the Greek words polio, meaning gray, and myelon , referring to the spinal cord. Polio is predominately spread through the feces. Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease that is caused by a subgroup of viruses. The hallmark of the disease is the rapid development of paralysis. Poliomyelitis is also commonly called polio. Once a cause of widespread public health measures to control epidemics, polio is now on the brink of eradication. Humans are the only known carriers of the polio virus. Poliomyelitis most commonly affects children under the age of five. Several generations ago, the disease was much more common than it is now. Many children in underdeveloped and developed countries, including the United States, were susceptible. With the successful development of vaccines and the implementation of global vaccination campaigns, the infection has been drastically reduced.These hot spots include areas in Africa, India, and the eastern Mediterranean. Males and females are equally susceptible to polio. Irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs, occurs in about one of every 200 polio infections. Bulbar polio and spinal polio are part of a continuum of anatomy and disease (paralytic polio). Bulbar polio occurs in 2% of cases of paralytic polio, and describes the form of the disease which affects the bulbar region of the brain stem .
Transmission of the poliovirus most often occurs from fecal-oral contact. Usually, this occurs from poor hand washing or from ingestion of contaminated food or water. Polio was once a common cause of death, but widespread vaccination has greatly reduced it. Better hygiene and sanitation have helped, but vaccination is the most important reason. There now seems a real prospect that, like smallpox, polio may be eradicated entirely from the world. The viruses that cause this disease have a particular tendency to attack the anterior pole cells, causing the column of tissue they form to become inflamed. For these reasons, the full name of the disease is acute anterior poliomyelitis. Poliomyelitis cases still occur should be fully immunized. Because of polio eradication efforts, the number of countries where travelers are at risk for polio has decreased dramatically.
Causes of Poliomyelitis
Common causes of Poliomyelitis
- Viral infection.
- Paralysis.
Symptoms of Poliomyelitis
Common symptoms of Poliomyelitis
- Fever.
- Fatigue.
- Headache.
- Vomiting,
- Stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs.
- General discomfort or uneasiness ( malaise ).
- Sore throat.
- Red throat.
- Fatigue.
- Irritability.
- Muscle stiffness.
- Muscle tenderness and spasm in any area of the body.
Treatment of Poliomyelitis
Common Treatment of Poliomyelitis
- Treatment consists of vaccination. There are two polio vaccines available; inactivated (Salk) poliovirus vaccine, and oral poliovirus vaccine.
- Kenny's therapy is still used in the treatment of paralytic poliomyelitis (in combination with antispasmodic medications to reduce muscular contractions
- A noninvasive negative-pressure ventilator (more commonly called an iron lung ) was used to maintain respiration artificially until a person could breathe independently, generally about one to two weeks. The machine was powered by an electric motor attached to two vacuum cleaners , and worked by changing the pressure inside the machine, pulling air in and out of the lungs
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