Poliomyelitis

Polio is a highly infectious viral disease

One In 200 infections results in paralysis, usually of the legs.

In the 1930s a polio epidemic emerged in the US. Although Polio isnt the most deadly infectious disease it terrified everyone

So why an epidemic?http://www.museumofdisability.org/siteimages/media/MagAdMarchofDimes.jpgAround the 1900s nations cleaned up their water supplies

So why an epidemic?http://www.museumofdisability.org/siteimages/media/MagAdMarchofDimes.jpgAround the 1900s nations cleaned up their water supplies

Mothers used to pass antibodies to their children.

So why an epidemic?http://www.museumofdisability.org/siteimages/media/MagAdMarchofDimes.jpgAround the 1900s nations cleaned up their water supplies

Mothers used to pass antibodies to their children.

By the 1930s mothers no longer had those antibodies to pass to their children since they had never been exposed to the virus before

So why an epidemic?http://www.museumofdisability.org/siteimages/media/MagAdMarchofDimes.jpgAround the 1900s nations cleaned up their water supplies

Mothers used to pass antibodies to their children.

By the 1930s mothers no longer had those antibodies to pass to their children since they had never been exposed to the virus before

THIS LEFT CHILDREN VULNERABLE

It was not just a disease of the poor!

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/12_03/polioDM_468x707.jpg

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

This got peoples attention! Iron lungs were used to help patients breathe if the paralysis spread to their diaphragm.

Clearly a vaccination is in order.

BUT first what causes polio?

The Poliovirus (PV) Causes Polio

Poliovirus invading a cellThe virus attaches to specific cell-surface receptors (Vpr)

Poliovirus invading a cellThe virus attaches to specific cell-surface receptors (Vpr)

It then enters the cell through endocytosis and releases its genetic material into the cytoplasm

POLIOVIRUS

PV enters the body through the nose or mouth then lives and multiplies in the human gut.

POLIOVIRUS

During this stage the patient experiences flu like symptoms such as:Headache vomiting feverNeck stiffnessPain in limbs

Next, the virus moves to the blood stream where the immune system makes antibodies to it and hopefully fights it off.If the Immune system fails

PV travels to the central nervous system and attacks motor neurons which can result in flaccid paralysis, muscle weakening or death.

BUT, thankfully the human immune system is so good that it only causes paralysis in 1 in 200 cases!!However it can still spread

The poliovirus spreads through infected feces or phlegmOpen sewerThe Virus Can survive for up to two months outside the body!!!

To stop the spread of polio scientists developed vaccinesIn 1955 Dr. Jonas Salk produced the first polio vaccine:

A Killed virus vaccine

70-90% effective against all three strains of poliovirus

In 1957 Albert Sabin developed a live, attenuated vaccine

Delivered orally

provided longer immunity

Mandatory Vaccinations eliminated wild poliovirus infections from the U.S. by 1979!!!So What Next??

1988 a global eradication plan was put into actionLead by WHO, UNICEF, Rotary international; and the US centers for disease control

The number of cases dropped by over 99% in the 20 years! (WHO)

http://www.africagoodnews.com/development/health/2227-new-hope-for-polio-eradication.htmlAnd It Only takes a few drops!20 million volunteers have vaccinated 2 billion children in 200 countries!

But there is still much work to be done!The eradication campaign has encountered many set backs Especially in the countries that remain endemic

Polio remains endemic in only four nations:PakistanAfghanistanIndia Nigeria

The Numbers Today

*Aminu Ahmed holds his son Umar, 2, who also suffers from polio April 8, 2005 in Kano, Nigeria. Polio, a disease that health workers once had hoped to eradicate worldwide by 2005, is on the march again in Nigeria.*95% of people infected dont experience symptoms*Cholera, typhus, yellow fever, diptheria, and TB were all more deadly and commonPolio could cripple an otherwise healthy child overnightNot everyone who gets infected gets sick*However children 5 and under were most vulnerable and most likely to get the diseaseThe crippling effects of polio are devastating and infection could strike anyone.

*Perfect example of how the disease can affect even the most affluent. He became an advocator for helping treat and prevent polio as well as an advocator for aid for polio survivors*This was discovered in 1909 by Landsteiner and Popper. It is a RNA virus

*Therefore It Spreads rapidly in areas of poor sanitation, living conditions and water supply*The Polio eradication plan has been very successful and has saved millions of lives and it will continue until every child is vaccinated and the wild poliovirus no longer has a host!*