Different types of Polio
Spinal polio – attacks motor neurons in the spinal cord and causes paralysis in arms and legs and breathing problems
Bulbar polio – affects neurons responsible for sight, vision, taste, swallowing, and breathing
Bulbospinal polio – both spinal and bulbar polio
What causes polio?
It is caused by a virus specific to humans. The virus lives in feces and can easily spread in areas of pour sanitation.
What are symptoms of polio?
Polio can be come in extreme or mild form.
In the extreme form of polio Symptoms include
- loss of muscle reflexes
- severe muscle pain
- Floppy limbs
- Those symptoms often advance into paralyzing the victim or even death
In Mild form of polio symptoms include
fever
- fatigue
- back and neck pain
- arm pain
- muscle spasms
- vomitting
These symptoms often only last for a couple of days in best case scenarios or a coyuuple of weeks by far.
How is Polio diagnosed?
If patients have the polio symptoms, throat secretions, stool samples, or cerebrospinal fluid are used for laboratory tests
How is polio treated?
Now a days as a replacement for the horrible iron lungs doctors use modern portable ventilators and jacket-type ventilators. However these are just advanced more comfortable forms of iron lungs and are not cures for the virus. As up till this moment there is no polio medication.
How to prevent Polio?
There are two vaccines available to fight polio – inactivated poliovirus (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV). These vaccines if given to children from being 2 months old up till 4-6 years the kids develop immunization against this virus. These vaccinations are very safe for children and are recommended by most doctors