Polio
 
 
District 1010 TfL Information Sheet Number 2
For more information go to www.thanksforlife1010.org
 
The Thanks for Life Project - Polio
Polio is:
  • A crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease, polio (poliomyelitis) still strikes children mainly under the age of five in countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
  • Polio can cause paralysis and sometimes death.  Because there is no cure for polio, the best protection is prevention. For as little as 50p worth of vaccine, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life.   
  • It can cause paralysis within hours, and polio paralysis is almost always irreversible. 
  • In the most severe cases, polio attacks the motor neurons of the brain stem, causing breathing difficulty or even death.
  • Historically, polio has been the world’s greatest cause of disability.
Polio is spread through crowding, unclean conditions, and improper sanitation of waste fluids. During the early 20th century, polio devastated many populations around the world; thanks to vaccines developed in the middle of the century, polio is rare in first world countries. Unfortunately, lack of thorough vaccination in developing nations makes polio a recurring problem in these areas of the world.
The infection is caused by the poliovirus, a virus which attacks the digestive tract in human beings. There are three classes of polio; the most mild, type three, represents the bulk of polio infections. The patient may experience a general feeling of malaise and flu-like symptoms, but he or she may not even realize that these symptoms are the result of a polio infection. In more severe cases, polio gets into the bloodstream and starts to rapidly multiply, causing more serious health problems.
A more aggressive form of polio is focused on the spinal cord. It causes a condition known as aseptic meningitis, which can be very serious. The patient experiences the classic symptoms of meningitis, such as a fever and stiff neck, but the symptoms are caused by poliovirus instead of the bacteria and viruses more commonly associated with meningococcal disease. It can be treated by keeping the patient hydrated and rested, on a firm bed.
  
The most serious type of polio is associated with paralysis. About one percent of polio cases will result in a condition called flaccid paralysis, in which the virus interrupts muscle signals, causing muscles to grow slack and weak. In some cases, the body can naturally recover, growing fresh nerve cells to replaced the damaged ones. In other instances, permanent paralysis or disfigurement may result. If the polio reaches the brain or lungs, it can be fatal, as it will cause the patient to stop breathing. More aggressive therapy such as putting the patient on a ventilator may be required for survival.
 
When a polio outbreak is occurring, proper hygiene is crucial. The disease has a three to 12 day incubation period, so members of a household may already have it. To prevent the spread of the disease, water should be boiled before drinking, and the house should be kept scrupulously clean. Once a patient has been diagnosed with polio, he or she may face a lengthy period of physical therapy, if the infection takes a paralytic form.
 
In 1955, Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for polio, using deactivated virus. Albert Sabin followed in 1963 with an easy to administer oral active vaccine, which is also highly effective. Routine vaccination for polio is standard in many countries as a result.
 
If polio isn’t eradicated, the world will continue to live under the threat of the disease. More than 10 million children will be paralyzed in the next 40 years if the world fails to capitalize on its US$5 billion global investment in eradication.
Polio Timeline 
 
1789 - British physician Michael Underwood provides first clinical description of the disease.
1840 - Jacob Heine describes the clinical features of the disease as well as its involvement of the spinal cord.
1894 - first outbreak of polio in epidemic form in the U.S. occurs in Vermont, with 132 cases.
1916 - large epidemic of polio within the United States.
1929 - Philip Drinker and Louis Shaw develop the "iron lung" to aid respiration.
1930s - two strains of the poliovirus are discovered (later it was determined that there were three).
1947 - 50, Dr. Jonas Salk is recruited by the University of Pittsburgh to develop a virus research program and receives grant to begin a polio typing project. He uses tissue culture method of growing the virus, developed in 1949 by John Enders, Frederick Robbins, and Thomas Weller at Harvard University.
1953 - Salk and his associates develop a potentially safe, inactivated (killed), injected polio vaccine.
1955 – 57 - incidence of polio in the U.S. falls by 85 - 90%.
1962 - the Salk vaccine replaced by the Sabin vaccine for most purposes because it is easier to administer and less expensive.
1979 - last case of polio caused by "wild" virus in U.S.; last case of smallpox in the world.
1985 - Rotary International launches PolioPlus program.
1988 - Rotary International, PanAmerican Health Organization, World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, UNICEF begin international campaign to stop transmission of polio everywhere in the world.
1991 - Last case in the Americas.
1996 - 85% reduction in cases with 150 countries polio free.
1999 - inactivated polio vaccine replaces oral polio vaccince as recommended method of polio immunization in the United States.
2000 - Western Pacific region polio free.
2002 -Europe polio free.
2003 - Only endemic in 7 countries.
2009 - Only endemic in 4 countries.
 
“Thanks for Life” Information Sheets:
TfL1 - Thanks for Life Project - Overview
TfL2 - Polio
TfL3 - Meeting the Bill & Melinda Gates Challenge
TfL4 - Promoting Rotary
TfL5 - Window on the World of Rotary Week
TfL6 – Suggested Actions
TfL7 - Purple Pinkie Project