What It Is and Who Needs the Vaccine – NBC New York (47)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed a case of the poliomyelitisan extremely contagious virus, in the US.

The case is the first in decades since the disease was eradicated from the country thanks to the use of vaccination on a large scale.

Here’s what you need to know about the virus, including symptoms, vaccine information, and why it’s so contagious.

WHAT IS POLIO AND HOW IS IT SPREAD?

Poliomyelitis, better known as polio, is a highly infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus was once considered one of the America’s most dangerous diseases following an outbreak in the late 1940s.

Poliovirus is contracted through the mouth, in water, or in food that has been contaminated with fecal material from an infected person. Once inside the body, the virus multiplies in the intestine and is excreted by the infected person in the feces, which can transmit the virus to other people.

An infected person can spread the virus to others just before and usually one to two weeks after developing symptoms.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF POLIO AND CAN IT CAUSE PARALYSIS?

There are some forms of polio, some of which can cause paralysis and can be fatal. But most people infected with the virus do not get sick and are not aware that they have been infected.

The most common symptoms are:

• Fever
• Throat pain
• Headache
• vomiting
• Fatigue
• Back pain or stiffness
• Neck pain or stiffness
• Pain or stiffness in the arms or legs
• Muscle weakness or tenderness

People with a rarer form of polio, called paralytic syndrome, experience the following symptoms:

• loss of reflexes
• Severe muscle aches or weakness
• Loose and limp limbs (flaccid paralysis)

ARE THERE ANY VACCINE AVAILABLE? AND WHAT IS THE TREATMENT?

There is currently no cure for polio. The best way to prevent the spread of the disease is vaccination.

The polio vaccine is the only protection against polio. The CDC recommends that children get the polio vaccine. In the US, the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) is the only polio vaccine that has been administered in the US since 2000.

Most children in the US receive four doses of the vaccine at the following ages: two months, four months, 6-18 months, and 4-6 years, before they enter school.

DO US ADULTS NEED TO BE VACCINATED AGAINST POLIO?

Most adults do not need the polio vaccine because they were vaccinated as children. However, there are three groups of adults who are at higher risk:

• You are traveling to a country where the risk of contracting polio is higher. Ask your health care provider for specific information about the need to be vaccinated.
• You are working in a laboratory and handling samples that could contain poliovirus.
• You are a health worker treating patients who may have polio or have close contact with a person who may be infected with poliovirus.

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