Polio is a highly contagious viral infection that can cause paralysis. It is caused by the poliovirus, which spreads through fecal-oral transmission, especially in areas with poor sanitation. While most polio infections cause no symptoms, it can occasionally lead to paralysis and even death. There are two vaccines available to prevent polio - the inactivated poliovirus vaccine and oral polio vaccine. Widespread vaccination efforts have nearly eradicated polio globally, though a few countries still see cases of the disease.

3. POLIO
• Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious
viral infection that can lead to paralysis,
breathing problems, or even death. The term
poliomyelitis is from the Greek poliós meaning
"grey",myelós referencing the spinal cord, and
-itis meaning inflammation.

4. CAUSES OF POLIO
• Polio is caused by the poliovirus, a highly
contagious virus specific to humans. The virus
usually enters the environment in the feces of
someone who is infected. In areas with poor
sanitation, the virus easily spreads through
the fecal-oral route, via contaminated water
or food. In addition, direct contact with a
person infected with the virus can cause polio.

5. SYMPTOMS OF POLIO
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Back pain or stiffness
• Neck pain or stiffness
• Pain or stiffness in the arms or legs

6. •Muscle spasms or tenderness
•Meningitis

7. PREVENTION OF POLIO
• Although polio essentially has been eradicated
in the US since 1979 and in the Western
Hemisphere since 1991, children and adults in
Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan are
still contending with the disease. There are
two vaccines available to fight polio -
inactivated poliovirus (IPV) and oral polio
vaccine (OPV).

8. •IPV, which consists of a series of injections beginning
two months after birth and continuing until a child is 4
to 6 years old, is provided to most children in the
United States. The vaccine is created from inactive
poliovirus, but it is very safe and effective and cannot
cause polio. OPV is created from a weakened or
attenuated form of poliovirus, and it is the vaccine of
choice in many countries because of its low cost, ease
of administration, and ability to provide excellent
immunity in the intestine. OPV, however, has been
known to revert to a dangerous form of poliovirus that
is able to paralyze its victim.

9. Polio vaccinations or boosters are highly
recommended in anyone who is not vaccinated or is
unsure if she is vaccinated.

10. TRANSMISSION
• Polio is spread through person-to-person contact.
When a child is infected with wild poliovirus, the
virus enters the body through the mouth and
multiplies in the intestine. It is then shed into the
environment through the faces where it can
spread rapidly through a community, especially in
situations of poor hygiene and sanitation. If a
sufficient number of children are fully immunized
against polio, the virus is unable to find
susceptible children to infect, and dies out.

11. •Young children who are not yet toilet-trained are a
ready source of transmission, regardless of their
environment. Polio can be spread when food or drink
is contaminated by faeces. There is also evidence that
flies can passively transfer poliovirus from faeces to
food.
•Most people infected with the poliovirus have no
signs of illness and are never aware they have been
infected.
•These symptomless people carry the virus in their
intestines and can “silently” spread the infection to
thousands of others before the first case of polio
paralysis emerges.

12. •For this reason, WHO considers a single confirmed
case of polio paralysis to be evidence of an epidemic –
particularly in countries where very few cases occur.