Understanding the importance of the Polio Vaccines
- krishgupta0907
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Polio is a viral disease that spreads from person to person and can cause life long paralysis and even death . In some cases the virus affects the spinal cord and brain . The Polio vaccines are the only such vaccines which can prevent this from happening making it vital for public safety and health .
How does Polio spread ?
Polio spreads from person to person through contact with the poop (often tiny) of an infected person . It also spreads through the sneeze or cough droplets from an infected person . It mostly spreads through close contact with an infected person . Polio is very contagious and not everyone infected with polio will show the symptoms . Even if there are no symptoms an infected person can spread the virus .
How does the Polio vaccine work?
The inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) became available in 1955 . It is given as a shot . A second oral vaccine (OPV) is given as liquid drops in the mouth .
Who should get the Polio vaccine?
Children should get 4 doses total :
2 months old : 1st dose
4 months old: 2nd dose
6-18 months old : 3rd dose
4-6 years old : 4th dose
Anyone who has only received 1 or 2 doses of polio before must get the remaining doses .
Adults over 18 years old known to be unvacinated or partially vacinated are recomended to get the polio vaccine . if vaccination history is unclear they should get 3 doses .
Addressing Misconceptions
Pakistan for an example is one of two countries where polio remains endemic , recently fake videos of children falling sick after taking polio vaccine spread like wildfire on social media . This led to mass panic and derailed efforts to immunize children across the country .
If polio was eradicated from all but two countries , why are there still cases in other countries?
In extremely rare instances , weakened live virus in OPV can revert back to the natural or wildtype version . In this case , it causes a vaccine associated paralytic polio (VAPP) and the virus continues to spread . This is usually called "vaccine-derived polio virus" .
Effects by vaccination:
Due to the OPV the US eliminated polio in 1979 . The virus was eliminated from the western hemisphere in 1991 . However polio still occurs in other parts of the world particularly in Asia. Today the virus is nowhere near how common it was primarily due to vaccines . The two countries where polio is still widely present is Afghanistan and Pakistan .
Sources
Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board