The long-term consequences of polio are not caused by re-infection with poliovirus, but by a number of factors related to the initial polio infection. For example: Abortive poliomyelitis is a benign and short course of the disease with 1 or more of these symptoms: In the United States, it is recommended to administer the polio vaccine at this age: The inactivated polio vaccine used in the United States is very effective and safe and cannot cause poliomyelitis. Vaccination against poliomyelitis offers protection against the disease. Children should receive a range of vaccines that start in early childhood. If you are an adult travelling to a country where cases are still occurring, you may need to get vaccinated. Adults can have a series of three doses of vaccines. This may be necessary in people who have not been fully vaccinated or who do not know if they have been vaccinated. The best prevention against poliomyelitis is a series of four vaccinations in the arm or leg. Learn more about polio vaccination and how to find your vaccination record. The symptoms of polio vary in severity. Most sufferers have no symptoms. This is called an inapparent infection. Other types of polio are abortive, non-paralytic and paralytic.
Paralytic polio can lead to long-term disability due to muscle paralysis. PPS is a condition that affects polio survivors ten to 40 years after recovering from an initial infection. PPS is characterized by further weakening of the muscles previously affected by polio infection. Symptoms include fatigue, slow-progressing muscle weakness, and deterioration. Joint pain and bone deformities are common. PPS is generally not life-threatening. There is no known cause or effective treatment for PPS. There is currently no cure for polio. Treatment includes supportive care. The first symptoms of polio are similar to those of the flu (flu) and last about two to 10 days: even children who seem to be making a full recovery can develop new muscle pain, weakness or paralysis in adulthood 15 to 40 years later. This is called post-polio syndrome.
Below are the most common symptoms of polio. But each person may have different symptoms. Higher-risk adults who have received one or two doses of polio vaccine in the past should receive the remaining doses. It doesn`t matter how long it has been since the previous dose(s). Higher-risk adults who have received three or more doses of polio vaccine in the past may receive a lifetime booster dose of IPV. But polio remains a problem in small parts of the world. Until everyone gets vaccinated, it is possible that polio will become a widespread problem again. The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to work towards polio elimination. Symptoms of post-polio syndrome are rarely life-threatening, but they can cause difficulties with: If you have symptoms of polio, contact a health care provider. The health care provider will ask you questions about your symptoms and whether you have recently travelled.
While most people recover completely from polio, the disease can cause very serious problems. These problems can sometimes develop quickly (a few hours after infection) and include: People with certain immune problems can contract the disease from a child who has recently been vaccinated with an oral polio vaccine. This type of vaccine is no longer used in the United States. Most children in the United States receive four doses of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) at the following age: While there is no cure for polio and no way to prevent paralysis, there are a few things that can keep you more comfortable: It is recommended that all adults make sure they have been vaccinated against polio. Polio vaccination is a course of 3 injections with an interval of 4 weeks between doses. If you have not received at least 3 doses of polio vaccine, talk to your doctor about follow-up doses. You have the greatest risk of contracting poliovirus if you have not been vaccinated against polio. Among the people who have a particular risk of infection are: People with poliovirus in their body excrete the virus through their feces (poop). The virus can then spread to other people if they swallow contaminated water or food. This exposure is more likely in areas where hygiene or systems are weak to purify water. There are three strains of poliovirus: type 1, 2 and 3. Types 2 and 3 have been eradicated (eliminated), but type 1 still affects people in some countries.
CDC labs perform tests for poliovirus, including culture, PCR, genome sequencing, and serology. Unvaccinated adults at risk of poliovirus infection should receive three doses of IPV: These adults at higher risk may need 1 to 3 doses of IPV, depending on the number of doses they have received in the past. Polio is spread through the feces or mucus of people infected with the virus. In about 1 in 200 cases, people with polio are paralyzed. Paralysis usually affects the legs and is permanent. Polio usually affects children under 5 years of age. The disease is more common in summer and autumn. The health team will examine the sample under a microscope to identify the poliovirus. Many people who have had polio develop a condition called post-polio syndrome decades later. Symptoms may include new muscle weakness and fatigue. Some people may have muscle shrinkage. Most people who have not had severe symptoms of polio do not have severe symptoms of this problem.
If you suffer from this condition, exercise and stretching can help you feel better. Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a subcategory of EoP. This is a diagnosable condition, but there is no test that will certainly show that you have it. PPS is diagnosed on the basis of: Up to 95 percent of people infected with polio have no symptoms. However, people infected without symptoms can still spread the virus and cause others to develop polio. About four to five percent of infected people have minor symptoms such as fever, muscle weakness, headache, nausea and vomiting. One to two percent of infected people develop severe muscle pain and stiffness in the neck and back. Less than one percent of polio cases lead to paralysis. To confirm polio, a health care provider will take a small sample of: A virus called poliovirus causes polio. The virus enters the body through the mouth or nose and enters the digestive and respiratory systems (respiratory system). It multiplies in the throat and intestines.
From there, it can enter the bloodstream. It can also attack the nervous system, the nerve network that helps the brain communicate with the rest of the body. The symptoms of non-paralytic polio are similar to those of abortive polio. The infected person may feel sick for a few days. Then they seem to improve before they get these symptoms again: “Late effects of poliomyelitis” (LEoP) are an umbrella term used to describe symptoms associated with a history of polio. Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a subcategory of LEoP and a diagnostic neurological disease. There are two types of vaccines that can prevent polio: Learn more and watch videos about the long-term effects of polio on the Polio Australia website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers polio vaccines to be very safe. The CDC tracks vaccine safety and issues. There is no cure for polio.
Treatment is aimed at coping with the effects of the disease. Supportive treatment options include: About 90% of people infected with poliovirus have no signs of the disease or only mild symptoms. When symptoms appear, they usually appear about seven to 10 days after exposure to the virus. But symptoms can last up to 35 days for them to appear. If you did not receive polio vaccines as a child, you should receive three vaccines as an adult: Consult your doctor for polio vaccination recommendations before traveling to a part of the world where polio is still natural or where oral polio vaccine (OPV) is used, such as Central and South America, Africa and Asia. Routine vaccination against poliovirus in U.S. adults (i.e., people >18 years of age) is not required. Most adults do not need a polio vaccine because they were vaccinated as children and their risk of being exposed to polioviruses in the United States is minimal. Poliovirus spreads when food, water or hands contaminated with feces (poop) or the throat or nasal secretions of an infected person enter the mouth of an uninfected person.
There are two types of polio vaccines: trivalent oral polio vaccine (TOPV), which is administered orally, and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), which is given by injection. .