According to the ‘World Health Organization’, polio is a rapidly spreading dangerous disease. It has been defined as a viral disease all over the world. It affects children the most. The virus of this disease spreads from one person to another through dirty water and food. After this, it affects the nervous system. For your information, let us tell you that there is no cure for polio. If you want to avoid it, then you should take medicine that strengthens immunity.
In 1988 the World Health Assembly (WHA)
In 1988, the World Health Assembly (WHA) started a special program to make the world polio free. In 1995, India started a special Plus Polio program to eradicate polio. In this, small children are given pulse polio medicine for 5 years. The last case of polio in India was reported in January 2011. After this, in February 2012, India was removed from the list of countries affected by polio virus.
In 2014, WHO declared India a polio free country
24 lakh workers were associated with this program. Out of which 1.5 lakh workers, budget of Rs 1,000 crore every year, polio eradication program was run 6-8 times every year. In every program, about 17 crore children were given medicine. This hard work of India paid off and in the year 2014, WHO declared India a polio free country.
If people from these countries come to India, they need polio medicine and vaccine
To prevent the polio virus from spreading in the country, the government took important steps in the year 2014. Especially if people from these countries come to India, it is very important for them to take polio vaccine and medicine. This list includes countries like Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Syria and Cameroon.
Polio is a serious disease that spreads very fast. It can cause permanent disability and in severe cases death. Especially children below 5 years of age. There are two types of polio virus in the whole world. First is wild polio virus and second is oral polio vaccine. Wild polio virus has been completely eradicated in most countries except Pakistan and Afghanistan. It has been found in Yemen and Central Africa.
These special symptoms appear in the body when you have polio
According to WHO, 70 to 95 percent of people infected with poliovirus do not show any specific symptoms. The initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiff neck and pain in hands and legs. One in 200 infected people may develop paralysis (usually in the legs). If paralyzed people have difficulty breathing, then there is a risk of death in 5-10% of such people. Polio particularly affects children above 5 years of age.
This is the status of polio around the world
Wild poliovirus cases have decreased by more than 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries to 6 reported cases in 2021. Of the 3 types of wild poliovirus (type 1, type 2, and type 3), wild poliovirus type 2 was completely eradicated in 1999 and wild poliovirus type 3 in 2020.
Two new cases of WPV1 have been reported in Pakistan in 2024. Both cases were found in Balochistan province (Chaman and Dera Bugti districts). This includes 125 positive samples in 2023 and 34 positive samples so far in 2024.
Disclaimer: Some of the information given in the news is based on media reports. Before implementing any suggestion, please consult the concerned expert.
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