Polio
By: Ashley and Carina
Who is at risk? How is the disease transmitted?
Polio can strike at any age but it is more common in children under 5 years old. Polio is spread through person-to-person contact. Polio can be spread when food or drinks are contaminated by feces. There is also evidence that flies can passively transfer the polio virus from feces to food.
Symptoms of Polio
The vast majority of people who are infected with the polio virus don't become sick and are never aware they've been infected with polio.
Nonparalytic polio:
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Vomiting
- Fatigue
- Back and Neck Pain or stiffness
- Pain or stiffness in the arms or legs
- Muscle weakness or tenderness
- Meningitis
- Fever
- headache
- Loss of reflexes
- Severe muscle aches or weakness
- Loose and floppy limbs which is often worse on one side of the body.
Treatments for Polio
There is no cure for Polio. Treatment success is poor but there are treatments to minimize pain and discomfort.
The Treatments help are:
- Supportive Therapy
- medication for the symptoms
- Ventilators to help the person breathe
- exercise
- Balanced diet
Prevention for Polio
Although, Polio is not a curable or treatable disease it is completely preventable. To prevent Polio you have to get the vaccination.
Infection Cycle and disease classification
After the virus is out of the body it is then passed onto the next person because they drink or eat the contaminated food and water.
Polio is an Endogenous disease.