The fight against polio, a preventable disease, is something that has been continuously going on all around the globe for many years.
A lot of effort has been put into finding better ways to control this dreaded disease, which has left countless people paralysed and crippled.
Fortunately, vaccination has developed, which has led to the control of polio spread. A simple poliomyelitis vaccine given to them has changed for good the way in which people live their daily lives.
If you are not yet aware of the benefits of polio vaccination or want to explore more about it, keep reading here.
What is polio and why is vaccination necessary?
Polo is a life-threatening disease that is transmitted from one person to another through faeces or droplets from the infected person. It can attack the brain and spinal cord of the infected person, which ultimately causes paralysis. Children are more suspectible to this disease due to their weak immune system but may show symptoms after two three weeks of catching infection.
Polio vaccination is the only way to prevent it and keep your loved ones safe. Some people who survive, they face some of the worst consequences like post-polio syndrome including muscle pain, weakness, and paralysis after 15-40 years.
Polio Symptoms
Sometimes, an infected person can’t be identified becuase of the aysmptomatic behaviour but he can also transmit the disease to others. On the other hand, some people can show the following symptoms, which seem similar to the flu:
- Sore Throat
- Fever
- Stomach Pain
- Nausea
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Meningitis
- Paraesthesia
- Paralysis
Symptoms can be mild or worse, depending on the severity of the infection. To prevent all these, polio vaccination becomes adamant.
Polio Vaccination Schedule
The first dose of polio vaccination begins just after your child’s birth. He will get the OPV (oral polio vaccine) and then the IPV vaccine (injectable polio vaccine) will be given in six weeks. The next doses of the IPV vaccine continue at 10 weeks, 14 weeks, 15-18 months, and 4-6 years.
Post-Vacation Side Effects
Although vaccinations are known to cause some mild side effects, IPV or OPV is completely safe for your child. However, the sore spot is the only thing that your child may suffer due to the IPV. No other serious complications are observed post-polio vaccination except mild fever. In case you forget to take your child at the scheduled time, get the catch-up vaccination as soon as possible.
Final Thoughts
Polio vaccination is a routine vaccination recommended for primary and secondary school children. After the government took several initiatives to curb and end polio, there has been a steady reduction in the number of patients.
Right now, India has become a polio-free nation thanks to the efforts of the Indian government and the healthcare department.
In the past three years, no single case of polio has been reported here. It shows the effectiveness of the polio vaccine, so don’t ever miss it for your children, or else it can have an adverse effect on them in the future.
