Understanding Polio: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention

KOMPAS.com – Polio is an infectious disease of the nerves caused by the polio virus. This disease attacks the central and peripheral nervous system and can cause permanent paralysis.

The initial symptoms of polio are non-specific because they are similar to respiratory tract infections in general and have an incubation period ranging from 7 to 21 days before causing serious conditions in the form of paralysis.

“Initial symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, cold, muscle aches, weakness. “Then, 7 – 14 days after the initial symptoms, numbness can occur, especially in the legs, weakness in both legs, making it difficult to walk and difficulty holding objects that should be able to be held,” said Miky Akbar, pediatrician at Sari Asih Karawaci Hospital, Tangerang City, as written by Antara, Tuesday (23/1/2024).

Also read: Polio Virus Attacks What Parts of the Body? Here’s the explanation…

According to Miky, the polio virus usually spreads via the fecal-oral route, which means it can be transmitted through direct contact or through food and water contaminated with the feces of sufferers infected with the polio virus.

“This virus is possible again due to the polio virus lying dormant in the body of a child who was previously infected. Viruses will develop when the body is in a weak immune condition. “This is termed post-polio syndrome,” he said.

Polio is divided into two types, namely non-paralytic polio and paralytic polio.

For non-paralytics, it is milder than the disease, causing flu-like syndrome symptoms such as fever, sore throat, nausea, and vomiting. This non-paralytic form of polio usually does not leave long-term damage.

Paralytic polio is a more severe form. This virus affects the central and peripheral nervous systems, causing muscle weakness and in severe cases paralysis that is often permanent or irreversible.

“All children of all ages are at risk if they do not have complete immunization status, or have never even been immunized. The growth and development process in children under two years of age can be disrupted if they are infected with the polio virus,” he said.

Also read: Signs of Polio in its Various Forms

Permanent paralysis caused by polio is very difficult to return to its original function, except for non-paralytic types of polio, rehabilitation can still be carried out.

“Function can improve in 20-30 percent of cases within 6 months, at least there will be improvement in function within 1-2 years,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Tangerang City Health Service has issued an appeal to all parents to complete basic immunizations for children at 1,092 posyandu and 39 community health centers.

Head of the Tangerang City Health Service, Dini Anggraeni, revealed that the target for polio immunization is 38,909 children for oral polio one and 39,422 children for oral polio 2-4 and IPV1 and IPV2.

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2024-01-23 09:30:00
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