Polio Vaccine: A New Form of Immunity

Everywhere we go, we have contact with many objects and people and those people and objects have had contact with other objects and people. It’s a fact of life and it is because we live in a world that’s populated with more than 7 billion people. But out of those 7 billion people, how many can we count that have proper hygiene? It’s impossible to tell. In this world, everyone is exposed to bacteria and if you run into contact with individuals who have bad hygiene, then it gives more reason for you to always stay clean and look after your health.

            Poliomyelitis is a viral disease that can be transmitted with contact of individuals who are infected. The fecal-oral route (a route where fecal particles pass from one host and into the mouth of another host) is the way the virus is transmitted and its host can be contaminated water, food, or an infected individual. Transmission can especially happen if you have direct contact with an infected individual who has poor hygiene due to the disease being found in mucus, feces, and phlegm (thick mucus found in respiratory passages).

The disease affects the nerves. Most early symptoms are not noticeable and sometimes do not appear but when they do, sore throat, red throat, headaches, nausea, and vomiting may take place. Later symptoms include abnormal reflexes, back stiffness, problems for simple mobility such as lifting the head or legs when lying down, and struggles to bend the neck.  

 The severe affects of polio completely depends just which nerves are infected, how fast it gets into the bloodstream, or if the grey matter of the spinal column is infected which is responsible for the movement of the muscles. If the grey matter of the spinal column is infected, inflammation of the nerve cells can take place resulting in a blockage of nerve signals from the spine and/or brain to the muscles. If the nerve cells become permanently damaged or destroyed, with no nerve stimulation, the muscles become floppy, weak, and eventually paralyzed.

The symptoms all vary depending on the areas where the disease is infecting. For example, bulbar polio infects the bulbar region of the brain which is the region that connects the stem of the brain to the cerebral vortex. If the cranial muscles are weakened as a result of the destruction of the nerves in this region, it can cause an individual to difficulty breathing, swallowing, and may even cause suffocation due to mucus build-up in the respiratory system. Most of the nerves in this region are what control swallowing functions in the throat, send signals to heart, intestines, and lungs, and control the upper neck. Respiratory problems may lead to death in some cases of polio.

Despite the disease nowadays being nearly non-existent in some places around the world, it is still prevalent in warmer climates such as South Asia and much of Africa. Currently, there is no cure for polio but there is treatment. However even with treatment there is no guarantee that an individual may make a full recovery. Some, after treatment, are left with deformities, permanent muscle paralysis, and lung problems. Vaccination is now recommended as one of the most powerful sources for prevention as it helps an individual have complete immunity.  It efficiently impedes person-to-person transmission of the virus protecting both the individual vaccine and those around them.

The importance of the polio vaccination should be considered especially if you are planning to travel this summer to countries where the disease is prevalent. As I stated in the beginning, we are always surrounded by millions of people and we don’t know who has good hygiene and who cleans up after themselves. Bad hygiene increases the chances of the virus spreading especially in the countries where it is widespread. So if you are planning to travel and are contemplating the idea of receiving the vaccine, for more info, visit us at our website at www.travelclinicny.com or call us at 212-696-5900 to schedule an appointment at our certified travel clinic. A summer with a clean bill of health is the best feeling in the world!