Poliomyelitis

Efforts continue to eradicate polio in Pakistan - AAP News Efforts continue to eradicate polio in Pakistan - AAP News Posted: 18 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PDT Poliovirus is in the Picornaviridae family, Enterovirus genus, and replicates in the pharynx and lower intestinal tract. Poliovirus requires an acid stable pH to survive passage through the stomach into the intestine. Poliovirus is spread through fecal-oral and respiratory tract routes. Humans are the only natural reservoir. Poliovirus is highly contagious requiring only small quantities of virus to cause infection and prefers summer-autumn months in temperate climates, while infecting year-round in tropical climates. Shedding of the virus in the alimentary tract occurs for four to eight weeks after infection and for one to three weeks from the pharynx, making people with disease infectious for a prolonged period of time. The incubation period of the virus averages three to six days in nonpara...

Health experts warn of possible spike of ‘polio-like’ illness - WJBF-TV Health experts warn of possible spike of ‘polio-like’ illness - WJBF-TV Posted: 24 Sep 2020 06:30 PM PDT AUGUSTA, Ga . (WJBF) — The CDC and local health experts are warning of a possible resurgence of Acute Flaccid Myelitis, also known as AFM. The rare neurological illness was first recognized in 2014 and reappears every other autumn in increasing numbers. 238 cases were confirmed in children 2018. With the fall season in full swing, experts, like Dr. Elizabeth Sekul, are encouraging parents to be aware of AFM so they know what to look for in their children. Courtesy: CDC "The big part and big problem is it can be very rapidly progressive and can cause respiratory compromise," Sekul, a pediatric neurologist at the Children's Hospital of Georgia, explained. "It can even stop them from breathing if it's in certain parts of the spinal cord....

UN says new polio outbreak in Sudan caused by oral vaccine - ABC News UN says new polio outbreak in Sudan caused by oral vaccine - ABC News Posted: 02 Sep 2020 12:00 AM PDT The World Health Organization says a new polio outbreak in Sudan is linked to an ongoing vaccine-sparked epidemic in Chad By MARIA CHENG AP Medical Writer September 2, 2020, 9:17 AM • 3 min read Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Email this article LONDON -- The World Health Organization says a new polio outbreak in Sudan is linked to an ongoing vaccine-sparked epidemic in Chad — a week after the U.N. health agency declared the African continent free of the wild polio virus. In a statement this week, WHO said two children in Sudan — one from South Darfur state and the other from Gedarif state, close to the border with Ethiopia and Eritrea — were paralyzed in March and April. Both had been recently vaccinated against polio. WHO sa...

Africa declared polio-free - The Boar Africa declared polio-free - The Boar Posted: 23 Sep 2020 12:36 PM PDT F or over half a decade, Africa has accounted for half of the world's cases of wild polio. How has this severe viral infection been eradicated? In 2019, there were 175 cases of wild polio and 364 cases of vaccine derived polio. This is a significant drop since 1988, with 350,000 recorded cases. The eradication of polio quickly became a global issue and corporation such as GPEI, Global Polio Eradication Initiative, was financed by both public and private donors.  What is Polio This communicable virus is often spread between people via consumption of contaminated water and food, since the virus can survive for many weeks in human faeces Polio is a life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus, which can be classified as either wild polio or vaccine-derived polio. This communicable virus is often spread between people v...

Lessons from how the polio vaccine went from the lab to the public that Americans can learn from today - PhillyVoice.com Lessons from how the polio vaccine went from the lab to the public that Americans can learn from today - PhillyVoice.com Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:44 PM PDT In 1955, after a field trial involving 1.8 million Americans, the world's first successful polio vaccine was declared " safe, effective, and potent ." It was arguably the most significant biomedical advance of the past century. Despite the polio vaccine's long-term success , manufacturers, government leaders and the nonprofit that funded the vaccine's development made several missteps . Having produced a documentary about the polio vaccine's field trials, we believe the lessons learned during that chapter in medical history are worth considering as the race to develop COVID-19 vaccines proceeds. [embedded content] Sabin and Salk Today, m...

Africa declared free of wild polio in 'milestone' - BBC News Africa declared free of wild polio in 'milestone' - BBC News COVID-19 vaccine research builds on US successes - US Embassy in Georgia It's important to monitor symptoms in children | Health - Coastal Point Africa declared free of wild polio in 'milestone' - BBC News Posted: 25 Aug 2020 12:00 AM PDT By Naomi Scherbel-Ball BBC News image copyright AFP image caption Polio can only be prevented through immunisation Africa has been declared free from wild polio by the independent body, the Africa Regional Certification Commission. Polio usually affects children under five, sometimes leading to irreversible paralysis. Death can occur when breathing muscles are affected. Twenty-five years ago thousands of children in Africa were paralysed by the virus. The disea...