Introduction
This is highly contagious acute viral disease of the nervous system leading to paralysis of the lower limbs.
Causative organism: poliovirus types I, II, III.
Incubation period 3 – 21 days
Mode of transmission
- Direct from faces of infected person to the mouth of uninfected person through the hands
- Indirect through contaminated food and water
- Direct or indirect from pharyngeal secretions of infected person.
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| Photo by Histopathology-India.net |
Signs and symptoms
- Starts with fever
- Malaise and headache
- Irritability and restlessness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Severe muscle pain and stiffness or neck
- Respiratory failure if the respiratory muscles are affected
- Paralysis occur in 3 -4 days as the temperature slows down
Management
- Symptomatic treatment
- Ensure barrier nursing
- Sponge child to reduce temperature
- Personal hygiene is taken care off
- Avoid injection during fever period (prevent provoking paralysis)
- Rehabilitation is case of permanent disability
Prevention and control
- Isolation
- Immunization of all children with oral polio vaccine
- Proper disposal of faces and discharges from the throat (disinfect before disposal)
- Concurrent disinfection of article soiled by discharges/faces
- Proper hand washing before eating/handling of food / after visiting the toilet.
- Keeping finger nails short
- Cover food and water to prevent cockroaches and setting on it
- Notification and Health education on the disease
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