Polio is a disease that fortunately does not occur much anymore. It is a disease that causes paralysis symptoms. Read more about polio below.
The disease polio
- Polio
- How often does it happen?
- How does the disease spread?
- Symptoms
- Abroad
- Therapy
Polio
Polio is a disease in which paralysis symptoms occur due to a viral infection. Post polio is a disease that occurs in people who have had polio in the past and have never gotten rid of it. This causes the nerve cells in the spinal cord to die. In the worst cases of polio, a person must be on a ventilator for the rest of his/her life. The incubation period of polio is about 1 to 2 weeks. The disease itself lasts 3 to 6 weeks. Unfortunately, there are no cures for polio. If a person has had polio once in his/her life, he/she will be immune to this infectious disease for life.
How often does it happen?
Fortunately, it no longer occurs often in the Netherlands and western Europe. Very occasionally it can happen that children who have not been vaccinated against polio can still get it. The last case of illness was in Peru (South America). In the United States there are only 8 to 10 cases of polio per year.
How does the disease spread?
- Physical contact (poor hygiene)
- Cough
- Talking (saliva droplets)
- Contaminated drink
- Contaminated food
Symptoms
- Headache
- Chapped throat
- Diarrhea
- Feverish
- Muscle pain in the back
- Pain in the neck area
- Muscle weakening
- Paralysis
Abroad
Are you planning to go abroad soon? Then consult your doctor about the vaccinations. In poor countries and countries with tropical jungles, the disease polio still occurs occasionally.
Therapy
Unfortunately, there is no treatment for polio, but there are medications that work against the symptoms. Because the muscles in the body are often paralyzed or weakened, physiotherapy, orthopedics and/or surgery are required to function properly again. Of those who have had polio, 50% recover without paralysis or debilitation, 25% remain disabled and 25% remain paralyzed or debilitated.