Polio

Why in news?

• Killing of female polio vaccinators puts Afghanistan’s Polio eradication campaign at risk.

About Polio:

• Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus.
• In about 0.5 percent of cases, it moves from the gut to affect the central nervous system and there is muscle weakness resulting in a flaccid paralysis.
•  The weakness most often involves the legs but may less commonly involve the muscles of the head, neck and diaphragm.
• Poliovirus is usually spread from person to person through infected fecal matter entering the mouth.
•  It may also be spread by food or water containing human feces and less commonly from infected saliva.
• Those who are infected may spread the disease for up to six weeks even if no symptoms are present.
• The disease may be diagnosed by finding the virus in the feces or detecting antibodies against it in the blood. The disease occurs naturally only in humans.
• The disease is preventable with the polio vaccine; however, multiple doses are required for it to be effective.
• In 2018, the wild disease was spread between people only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• The first polio vaccine was developed in the 1950s by Jonas Salk. Soon after, Albert Sabin developed an oral vaccine, which has become the world standard.

Prelims Question

Consider the following statements regarding Polio:
1.It affects the central nervous system.
2.Wild Polio has been eradicated in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question