FREE ESSAY ON POLIOMYELITIS

POLIOMYELITIS

POLIOMYELITIS- an infectious virus of the central nervous system.
SYMPTOMS- FATIGUE, HEADACHE, FEVER, SORE THROAT, MUSCLE PAIN, VOMITING, 
CONSTIPATION, STIFFNESS OF NECK(MENINGITIS), MUSCLE PARALYSIS, 
IMPAIRED BREATHING.
AREAS OF THE BODY
AFFECTED- CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, NERVE TISSUE (MOTOR NEURONS),BRAIN,
LEGS, ARMS, MUSCLES, RESPIRATORY SYSTEM, STOMACH & THROAT (THE VIRUS
MULTIPLIES IN THE LINING OF).
VECTOR &
ENTRY - Polio is excreted in feces and spreads in contaminated water, food, hands and
eating utensils
to unaffected patients. The virus enters its victims in through the mouth. To prevent
polio, sanitation is
key. Poliomyelitis is carried by humans, nonhuman primates and flies, but, only affects
humans and
nonhuman primates.
TREATMENTS - There is no treatment for polio itself, but symptoms may be easily treated.
Aspirin
for headache and fever and most other symptoms can be managed by over-the-counter drugs
from the 
neighbourhood pharmacy.
COMPLICATIONS - acute polio can leave victims with impaired motor skills
-paralysis and deformation of muscles and limbs may occur in recovered patients
-recovered victims may receive "POST POLIO SYNDROME", this is the body's way of
compensating for
all the destroyed nerve cells
-Doctors and nurses that are treating polio patients may contract the virus.
-in the most severe cases, the possibility of death is present
IMMUNITY - In the 1950's the first vaccination (SALK vaccine) against poliomyelitis was
developed by a 20th century scientist named Jonas Salk. This vaccination being injected
into unaffected
patients. Albert Sabin, an American virologist developed another vaccination. This called
the Trivalent
Oral Polio Vaccine (TOPV) can be taken orally and inturn replaced the SALK vaccine in
1963.
RECENT TRENDS - In 1985 the World Health Organization began an effort to destroy the
virus by
the year 2000. To date the last reported case of paralytic polio was in 1991 in the
Americas.
- Researchers are gaining insight on how to slow the spreading of polio through the
body.
INTERESTING FACTS - There are approximately 650 000 polio survivors still alive in North
America today and 20% to 40% have experienced Post Polio Syndrome.
- Scientists estimate the price of eradicating polio at $500 million if it was to be
completed over the next
decade.
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt suffered from poliomyelitis. During his presidency he
could not walk
unaided.