Polio, commonly known as childhood paralysis, is an infectious disease caused by poliovirus, which usually lives in the intestine, but can reach the bloodstream and in some cases affect the central nervous system, causing limb paralysis, motor disturbances and, in some cases, can even lead to death.
The virus is transmitted from person to person through contact with secretions, such as saliva and/or consumption of water and foods containing contaminated faeces, most often affecting children, especially in poor hygiene conditions.
- Although there are currently few reported cases of polio.
- It is important to vaccinate children up to age 5 to prevent the disease from re-establishing and spreading the virus to other children.
- Learn more about the polio vaccine.
Most of the time, poliovirus infection has no symptoms, and when it does, it includes a variety of symptoms, allowing polio to be classified as non-paralytic and paralytic based on your symptoms:
Symptoms that may occur after poliovirus infection are often related to the non-paralytic form of the disease, which is characterized by:
In very few cases, the person can develop the severe and paralyzed form of the disease, in which neurons of the central nervous system are destroyed, causing paralysis in one of the limbs, with loss of strength and reflexes.
In even rarer situations, if a large part of the central nervous system is compromised, it is possible to lose motor coordination, difficulty swallowing, respiratory paralysis, which can even lead to death. See what the consequences of polio are.
Polio is transmitted from person to person, as viruses are eliminated in faeces or secretions, such as saliva, snot, and mucus, so infection occurs from eating foods that contain faeces or by contact with droplets of contaminated secretions.
Pollution is most common in environments with poor sanitation and hygiene conditions, and children are the hardest hit, however, it is also possible that adults may be affected, especially those whose immunity is compromised, such as the elderly and malnourished.
To prevent poliovirus infection, it is important to invest in improvements in sanitation, water decontamination and proper food washing.
However, the main way to prevent polio is vaccination, where 5 doses are needed, from 2 months to 5 years. Learn more about the vaccination schedule for children from 4 to 10 years old.
Like other viruses, poliomyelitis does not have a specific treatment, and rest and fluid intake are recommended, in addition to the use of medications such as paracetamol or dipyrone, to relieve fever and body aches.
In more severe cases of paralysis, treatment may also include physiotherapy sessions, during which techniques and devices, such as orthosis, are used to adjust posture and help reduce the effects of sequelae on a child’s daily life. . Find out how polio treatment is done.