Table of Contents
What caused polio and how did it spread?
Polio is spread when the stool of an infected person is introduced into the mouth of another person through contaminated water or food (fecal-oral transmission). Oral-oral transmission by way of an infected person’s saliva may account for some cases.
Is polio a bacteria or virus?
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can infect a person’s spinal cord, causing paralysis (can’t move parts of the body).
Does polio still exist?
Wild poliovirus has been eradicated in all continents except Asia, and as of 2020, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where the disease is still classified as endemic….2017.
| Country | Afghanistan |
|---|---|
| Wild cases | 14 |
| Circulating vaccine- derived cases | 0 |
| Transmission status | endemic |
| Type(s) | WPV1 |
Was polio a man made disease?
The creation of the man-made polio virus came just a month after the World Health Organization had declared polio eradicated from Europe and projected total eradication of the disease by 2005. Last year, only 480 cases were reported in the world.
How did we stop polio?
Thanks to the polio vaccine, dedicated health care professionals, and parents who vaccinate their children on schedule, polio has been eliminated in this country for more than 30 years. This means that there is no year-round transmission of poliovirus in the United States.
Why does Pakistan have polio?
Climate. Fecal-oral transmission is the most common source of transmission of the poliovirus in developing countries, including Pakistan. In addition to the poor health and water sanitation infrastructure, the transmission of the virus is also heightened because of the high population density and climate conditions.
Is smallpox a virus or bacteria?
Before smallpox was eradicated, it was a serious infectious disease caused by the variola virus. It was contagious—meaning, it spread from one person to another. People who had smallpox had a fever and a distinctive, progressive skin rash.
What year was polio eradicated in the US?
The United States has been polio-free since 1979, thanks to a successful vaccination program.
Is polio A virus?
Is polio a Indian?
Within two decades, India received ‘Polio-free certification’ from World Health Organization on the 27 March 2014, with the last polio case being reported in Howrah in West Bengal on 13 January 2011.
Can you get polio from kissing?
Other ways to transmit the disease include: direct contact (via contaminated stool/feces or droplets spread on the hands, then touching the mouth) oral to oral (mouth to mouth) transmission by way of a person’s infected saliva (like kissing, which may account for some instances of polio)