Polio, abbreviated as polio, is an intestinal infectious disease caused by poliovirus, with asymmetric limb paralysis as the main clinical manifestation. In the pre-vaccine era, the disease was widely prevalent, causing irreversible paralysis, seriously endangering children's health, and was one of the main causes of physical disability in children, also known as polio.
Main sources of infection: Polio is transmitted to sick people, latent infections and carriers of the virus. Occult infections (more than 99%) and mildly paralyzed patients are the main sources of infection.
Main mode of transmission: The virus enters through the fecal-oral or respiratory route and then multiplies in the mucous membranes of the oropharynx and lower gastrointestinal tract. The virus is secreted into saliva and feces and can be transmitted from it to others
Disease incubation period: the shortest is 3 days, the longest is 35 days, generally 5~14 days.
Infectious period: The virus excreted in the feces of infected patients can be several weeks to several months, and it is contagious at the end of the incubation period to 3~4 weeks after the onset of the disease, and the contagiousness is strongest before and 1~2 weeks after the appearance of paralysis symptoms.
Susceptible population: Humans are the only natural host, and the population is generally susceptible to poliovirus and can acquire long-lasting immunity after infection. There are three serotypes of poliovirus, and there is no cross-immunity between the types.
Disease-related complications: The most important complication of polio is respiratory complications, which are more common in patients with bulbar respiratory paralysis, which can be secondary to pneumonia, atelectasis, acute pulmonary edema, etc., and some patients can find myocardial lesions on reexamination, which are mostly directly caused by viruses, but it is difficult to diagnose them based on clinical manifestations alone. Digestive complications include gastrointestinal bleeding, intestinal paralysis, and acute gastric dilation. Other complications include urinary tract infections due to urinary retention, pressure ulcers due to prolonged bed rest, and negative nitrogen and calcium balance, manifested by osteoporosis, urinary tract stones, and renal failure. During acute spinal cord inflammation, care should be taken to prevent complications of long-term bed rest (eg, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, urinary tract infection) and complications of long-term inactivity (eg, contractures). Respiratory failure requires mechanical ventilation. Patients who are mechanically ventilated or have bulbar palsy should keep their airways open.
How to treat polio: As there is no specific drug for poliovirus, treatment is symptomatic and supportive and promotes neuromuscular recovery. Polio has not been completely eradicated globally, and cases from imported wild viruses remain at risk.
Therefore, the most effective way to prevent polio is to actively vaccinate against polio, which is the most cost-effective means of preventing most infectious diseases.
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