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World Polio Day - 24 October
October 25 , 2017
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- The World Polio Day is observed annually across world on 24 October to create awareness about the hazards of the crippling Polio disease.
- World Polio Day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who developed first successful vaccine against poliomyelitis.
- India received polio-free certification along with the entire South-East Asia Region of WHO on 27th March 2014 by WHO.
- Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) launched in 1988 has played pivotal role in eradication of wild poliovirus. When it was launched wild poliovirus existed in 125 countries. Now, it exists in three countries Pakistan and Afghanistan.
- Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children (under 5 years of age). The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g. contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can inter the nervous system and can cause paralysis.
- Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs. 1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs).
- Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become nonfunctional.
- There is no cure, but safe and effective vaccines are there. Polio can be prevented through immunization.
- There are two types of vaccine to prevention infection.
- OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine)
- Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV)
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