Polio-free India finds case after 10 years: What is vaccine-derived infection, know polio symptoms and treatment

The date was March 27, 2014. It was a big day for India. On this day, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared India polio free. This was the date on which the last case of polio was reported in India exactly 3 years ago. News is coming once again about polio in India. A case of polio has been reported in Meghalaya. Seeing the chaos created over this, the Ministry of Health has said in a statement that there is no need to panic. This is a vaccine derived case. Vaccine derived polio means that the infection is caused by a weakened strain of the virus present in the polio vaccine. This is a 'once in a while case'. Children with very weak immune systems are at higher risk. Today in 'Tabyatpani' we will talk about vaccine-borne infections and polio. You will also know- What is the meaning of vaccine? This is just like any training. While preparing the army men for any war they are taught to create a war like situation and come out victorious. War drills are also conducted for this. This vaccine works in exactly the same way. A vaccine prepares our body to fight a disease, virus or infection. In vaccines, the pathogens responsible for the infection are sent into our body in a weakened form or inactive amount. These can make our bodies mildly ill, although they are often so weak that the body is able to deal with them. This triggers our immune system to recognize the infection (invading virus) and make antibodies in the body against it. Which helps our body to fight against external attacks. What is Polio Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by the poliovirus. Most people have very mild or no symptoms. While the infection can cause paralysis or death in some people. How many types of polio are there Polio can affect our body in different ways. It depends on which part of the body the virus has attacked and where it is growing. Based on that, the types of polio are determined. Abortion poliomyelitis causes flu-like symptoms in the intestines. It does not last very long and does not cause long-term problems. Non-paralytic poliomyelitis can cause this aseptic meningitis. This means that the area around the brain can swell. It has more symptoms than abortive poliomyelitis and may require hospitalization. Paralytic Poliomyelitis This condition occurs when the polio virus attacks our brain and spinal cord. It can paralyze those muscles. which allows us to breathe, speak, swallow and move our limbs. Depending on which parts of the body Polio affects, it is called spinal polio or bulbar polio. Spinal and bulbar polio can also occur together. Such a condition is called bulbospinal polio. Less than 1% of people infected with polio develop paralytic poliomyelitis. Polioencephalitis is the most common form of polio that mostly affects infants. Due to which the brain gets swollen. This is fatal. Post-polio syndrome This condition occurs when polio symptoms return years after polio infection. This is more dangerous because during this time an infected person can infect others even if they are asymptomatic. What are the symptoms of polio? 95 to 99% of people infected with poliovirus are asymptomatic. It is also known as subclinical polio. Any infected person can spread the polio virus even without symptoms. Polio rarely causes complete paralysis. Less than 1% of all polio cases result in permanent paralysis. In 5-10% of cases of polio paralysis, the virus attacks the muscles that help us breathe and causes death. How is polio spread? Polio is spread through coughing or sneezing, or through contact with the faeces (faeces) of an infected person. See how it's done. What is its treatment No specific drugs have been developed to treat polio. Some machines or drugs can be used to make life easier, to ease the symptoms that arise after infection. A few things can be tried to improve symptoms: How to prevent polio The best way to prevent polio is vaccination. Its vaccination is usually done in childhood. If a person has not been vaccinated in childhood or does not know whether he has been vaccinated or not, he can consult a doctor about this.

Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).