Debosmita Ghosh • 26 Nov 2024
New Polio Cases Reported In Pakistan, Know The Symptoms And Ways To Prevent The Viral Disease
Know The Symptoms And Ways To Prevent Polio
Pakistan reported three new cases of polio. This takes the total number of active cases in the country to 55. Officials have said that the country’s massive and unending struggle to root out polio continues as the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the detection of Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1) in three districts, including Dera Ismail Khan, Zhob and Jaffarabad.
Dera Ismail Khan is a district in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which has reported six polio cases this year. Meanwhile, the southwestern districts of Zhob and Jaffarabad have reported three and two cases, respectively, the statement said.
Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic.
Troubled regions, including Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have seen rejection of polio vaccination campaigns and even casualties for health workers in the past. The World Health Organization has warned that detection of the latest cases in Pakistan is an alarming sign, putting children in several districts at severe risk.
Even though the Pakistan Polio Programme claims to have conducted multiple mass vaccination drives since January 2024, many analysts have questioned the government’s continued failure to handle the spread of the virus.
Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, is a condition that usually affects children below the age of 5 years. It is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. The virus invades the nervous system which then causes paralysis in a matter of hours.
There is no cure for polio and the condition can only be prevented with immunization. The polio vaccine which is given multiple times can help to protect a child for life.
Symptoms of Polio
There are different types of polio and the symptoms tend to vary depending on the type of the condition.
Abortive polio
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Sore throat
- Stomach ache
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Nonparalytic polio
- Neck pain or stiffness
- Aches or stiffness in the arms or legs
- Severe headache
- Stiffness of the spine and neck
- Decreased reflexes
- Muscle weakness
Paralytic polio
- Intense pain
- Extreme sensitivity to touch
- Tingling or pricking sensations
- Muscles spasms or twitching
- Muscle weakness progressing to a limp paralysis
Depending on the severity of the disease, other signs or symptoms may include:
- Paralysis of muscles involved in breathing
- Difficulty swallowing.
Preventing Polio
Polio can only be prevented with vaccination.
There are two vaccines available; oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine. There are different types of polio vaccines, inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV). IPV is the only polio vaccine that has been given in the United States since 2000. The OPV is used in other countries.
Both are effective and safe and both are used in different combinations worldwide to ensure the best possible protection to populations can be provided.
In India, OPV has been used exclusively in India since 1978, however, IPV has been recently added to India’s national immunisation program. OPV is also continued.
(With inputs from IANS)
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