What is Polio?
2/7/2019
Polio is a viral disease that created an epidemic in the US around 1916. It is spread through contaminated food/water and causes your body to have flu-like symptoms. At its worst, it can cause paralysis, meningitis, and sometimes death.
Don’t let this get you down, there are ways to prevent this from happening to you and your family!
Don’t let this get you down, there are ways to prevent this from happening to you and your family!
Symptoms and Risk
Polio is a viral disease that created an epidemic in the US around 1916. It is spread through contaminated food/water and causes your body to have flu-like symptoms. At its worst, it can cause paralysis, meningitis, and sometimes death.
Don’t let this get you down, there are ways to prevent this from happening to you and your family!
Don’t let this get you down, there are ways to prevent this from happening to you and your family!
How can you Prevent Polio?
One of the easiest ways to prevent diseases like Polio is to get vaccinations. Vaccines work by injecting a small amount of dead cells from a virus into your body to train it to fight certain diseases. For example, polio vaccines have dead poliomyelitis cells in them (IPV = Inactive Polio Vaccine)
This will not give you polio. It will simply train your immune system to learn how to fight these diseases if they appear later on. These vaccines are not to be used if the person has serious allergies or is unwell at the time.
This will not give you polio. It will simply train your immune system to learn how to fight these diseases if they appear later on. These vaccines are not to be used if the person has serious allergies or is unwell at the time.
It's Not That Bad, Right?
Wrong! Polio is no joke. These symptoms could last forever and leave you with tons of pain. Take it from Paul Alexander, a man who got polio when he was 6 years old. It left him paralyzed from the neck down. He has to rely on an iron lung to breathe.
Or Dennis Ogbe, a paralympian who got polio at age 3. He is merely 27 years old and overcame the causes of polio by training himself to walk and rebuilding his strength after surviving polio.
Or Dennis Ogbe, a paralympian who got polio at age 3. He is merely 27 years old and overcame the causes of polio by training himself to walk and rebuilding his strength after surviving polio.
When Should You Get an IPV?
The recommended amount of IPV in children is about 4 doses. This can change depending on if the child is traveling, if they are near somebody with the virus, etc.
If you are an adult who has had their shots as a child, you shouldn’t have to take an IPV again. However, if you handle substances that might contain the virus, you are traveling to a country with higher risk for polio, or you are near somebody who could possibly have polio, it is always best to be sure.
For more detailed information, go to https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/polio/public/index.html
If you are an adult who has had their shots as a child, you shouldn’t have to take an IPV again. However, if you handle substances that might contain the virus, you are traveling to a country with higher risk for polio, or you are near somebody who could possibly have polio, it is always best to be sure.
For more detailed information, go to https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/polio/public/index.html
How Does it Spread?
Poliovirus spreads through droplets of a sneeze or cough from an infected person. You can also get polio by putting any objects with droplets on them near your mouth. If a person with polio sneezes or coughs onto or near food, you can get infected. It usually takes 1 to 2 weeks to spread fully and then dies off.