Polio or poliomyelitis., which is caused by the poliovirus, is recently in the news again. After decades of virtual eradication, doctors are concerned about rising cases. The culprit appears to be the unvaccinated.
In July 2022, a young man was diagnosed with polio. He is from Rockland County, NY, where it is not uncommon for parents not to vaccinate their children against childhood diseases. Polio is very contagious.
Based on this discovery, officials have tested the wastewater in several nearby communities - including New York City - and found the poliovirus.
The polio vaccine is part of the regimen of vaccines given to children in the United States. Except in very rare and unusual circumstances, the vaccine gives the person immunity for life. Polio, which can cause permanent or temporary paralysis, has no cure, so prevention is indeed the best medicine. Polio may lead to death if the lungs’ diaphragm becomes paralyzed.
Those affected may never fully recover, and children may go on to have wasted limbs, usually the legs.
Humans have contracted the disease for thousands of years. There are depictions of its victims in ancient art. The poliovirus was first discovered by immunologist Karl Landsteiner in 1909. In the 20th century, polio became one of the childhood diseases that most concerned parents as it became more prevalent. Luckily, the polio vaccine was introduced in the 1950s, and the disease’s incidence rapidly declined. One of the first successful vaccines was developed by an American virologist, Jonas Salk.
Experts had hoped humanity would eradicate polio, as we have done with smallpox, but pockets of infection remain, mainly in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Officials will continue to work towards full eradication in the future. Much depends on global vaccination rates.
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