World Polio Day 2017: Here's An Insight To This Fatal Disease

World Polio Day: Remember how we used to go to a polio camp for the 'two drops of life'. Thanks to that campaign, polio is now completely eradicated in India. But the global eradication of this fatality has yet not taken place. Polio virus continues to circulate in three countries of the world, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. Until the global eradication of this disease takes place, the world would continue to be at a risk of this fatal disease. To spread awareness about this disease, World Polio Day is celebrated globally on the 24th of October every year.

A highly contagious virus, this disease attacks the nervous system. Children below five years of age are prone to Polio. Though there is no cure, polio can be prevented by safe and effective vaccination. In India, the strategy of immunizing every child was followed until 2014 when the transmission of this disease came to an end in our country. The same needs to be followed globally to make our world polio-free.

To begin with, watch out for these symptoms of polio:

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Sadly, 90% of the polio attacks are asymptomatic. Evident symptoms include headache, vomiting, fatigue, fever and sore throat. The World Health Organization reveals that one in 200 cases of polio may result in paralysis. Paralytic polio symptoms include loss of reflexes, muscle pain and deformity in limbs.

And it's not only kids who are prone to this disease, pregnant women and people with a weak immunity are also vulnerable to polio.

How to prevent polio?

As mentioned earlier, polio has no cure, but the disease can be prevented by regular and effective vaccination. So prevention is the only cure for this fatality. The Oral Polio Vaccination should be given to kids at different stages. One dose each when the child is two and four months old, then a dose when the child is 6-18 months old and a booster dose when the child is between 4-6 years old.

Though the vaccination is not recommended for adults, there are certain circumstances where people need to take an advice from their healthcare providers. In case you are travelling to a country where the disease is prevalent or if you work at a lab where you need to handle specimens of such deadly viruses, caution is recommended. Also, if you come in contact with a polio-patient regularly, you need to take precautionary measures for the same.

Happy World Polio Day!