26 Oct 2024        15:09:26 pm

Biology

Polio

Tags : Polio

Topic: Diseases

Why in the news?

• Second stage of Gaza polio campaign begins while war goes on in other areas
• Vaccinations have begun in Rafah and Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, both areas that have been battered by the war and have hosted tens of thousands of people who have fled other parts.

Source: The Hindu 

About Polio:

• It is a viral infectious disease that can cause irreversible paralysis and even death by affecting the nervous system.
• There are three distinct strains of wild poliovirus:
  • Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1)
  • Wild Poliovirus Type 2 (WPV2)
  • Wild Poliovirus Type 3 (WPV3)
• Although symptomatically similar, each strain has genetic and virological differences, necessitating separate eradication efforts.
• The virus primarily spreads through the fecal-oral route and can multiply in the intestine, where it can invade the nervous system. It predominantly affects children under five.
• Available vaccines:
  • Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV): Administered as a birth dose, followed by three primary doses at 6, 10, and 14 weeks, and a booster dose at 16-24 months.
  • Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV): This vaccine is given as an additional dose along with the third DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus) vaccine under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).
• India was declared polio-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2014, with the last wild poliovirus case reported in 2011.

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