Abby Kane's List: Polio Glog

• crippling
• potentially fatal infectious
• no cure
• safe and effective vaccines.

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• potentially deadly infectious disease caused by a virus that spreads from person to person invading the brain and spinal cord and causing paralysis.

• Polio is a contagious viral illness that in its most severe form causes paralysis, difficulty breathing and sometimes death.

• focus is on increasing comfort, speeding recovery and preventing complications. Supportive treatments include:  

   
   
  • Bed rest
   
  • Antibiotics for secondary infections (none for poliovirus)
   
  • Analgesics for pain
   
  • Portable ventilators to assist breathing
   
  • Moderate exercise (physical therapy) to prevent deformity and loss of muscle function
   
  • A nutritious diet
• no cure

• by symptoms, such as neck and back stiffness, abnormal reflexes, and difficulty swallowing and breathing
• diagnosis, a sample of throat secretions, stool or cerebrospinal fluid

• temporary or permanent muscle paralysis, disability, and deformities of the hips, ankles and fee

• only in humans
• enters the environment in the feces of someone who's infected
• can be transmitted through contaminated water and food or through direct contact with someone infected with the virus
• People carrying the poliovirus can spread the virus for weeks in their feces

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• Although polio can cause paralysis and death, the vast majority of people who are infected with the poliovirus don't become sick and are never aware they've been infected with polio.
• Nonparalytic polio
• type of polio that doesn't lead to paralysis (abortive polio). This usually causes the same mild, flu-like signs and symptoms typical of other viral illnesses.

• Signs and symptoms, which generally last one to 10 days, include:  

   
   
  • Fever
   
  • Sore throat
   
  • Headache
   
  • Vomiting
   
  • Fatigue
   
  • Back pain or stiffness
   
  • Neck pain or stiffness
   
  • Pain or stiffness in the arms or legs
   
  • Muscle spasms or tenderness
   
  • Meningitis
   
   
• Paralytic poli
• poliovirus infection leads to paralytic polio, the most serious form of the disease. Paralytic polio has several types, based on the part of your body that's affected — your spinal cord (spinal polio), your brainstem (bulbar polio) or both (bulbospinal polio).
• Initial signs

• and symptoms of paralytic polio, such as fever and headache, often mimic those of nonparalytic polio. Within a week, however, signs and symptoms specific to paralytic polio appear, including:  

   
   
  • Loss of reflexes
   
  • Severe muscle aches or spasms
   
  • Loose and floppy limbs (flaccid paralysis), often worse on one side of the body
   
   

   The onset of paralysis may be sudden
• Post-polio syndrome

• disabling signs and symptoms that affect some people for decades — an average of 25 to 35 years — after they had polio. Common signs and symptoms include:  

   
   
  • Progressive muscle or joint weakness and pain
   
  • General fatigue and exhaustion after minimal activity
   
  • Muscle atrophy
   
  • Breathing or swallowing problems
   
  • Sleep-related breathing disorders, such as sleep apnea
   
  • Decreased tolerance of cold temperatures

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