World Polio Day is observed on 24th October every year. It is a day to celebrate the achievements made in global polio eradication and also a day to reflect upon the urgent need for continued support and awareness of this global public health issue. 

Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects children below 5 years of age. The virus is transmitted person to person mainly through the faecal oral route or through contaminated water or food. The virus multiplies in the intestine, from where it invades the nervous system and cause paralysis.

Symptoms of Polio

Polio in its most debilitating forms displays symptoms such as paralysis and death. However, most people with polio do not display any symptoms. When symptoms do appear, they depend on the type of polio.

Non-paralytic Polio

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Headache
• Sore Throat
• Stiffness in neck
• Pain in limbs

Paralytic Polio

The symptoms start in a similar way as in non-paralytic, but later progress to more serious symptoms such as:

• Loss of Muscle Reflexes
• Severe Muscle Pain and Spasms
• Floppy Limbs

There is no cure for polio, only treatment to alleviate the symptoms.

But the good news is that Polio can be prevented through immunization. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always protects a child for life.

More Good News

• Polio cases in 1988: 350 000
• Polio cases in 2015: 74

Polio cases have decreased by over 99%. The major decline is the result of the global effort to eradicate the disease.

Prevention

• As long as even a single child is infected, children across the world are at a risk of polio.
• Join hands with government and initiatives taken by other organizations and Do Not Miss any Polio Drops Dose for children below 5 years of age.
• Let’s immunize every child until transmission stops and the world is polio-free.

99 per cent isn’t good enough, we must finish the job!