Is Poliomyelitis A Non Curable Viral Disease?

Poliomyelitis was a highly infectious disease that spread through many Americans in the early 20th century. As a matter of fact, over 3,000 Americans died of the disease each year. Families were overwhelmingly desperate for doctors to find a cure. When one suffered from polio, they generally experienced painful symptoms which included not only fatigue and muscle weakness, but even death. Therefore, when the polio vaccine was introduced by scientist Jonas Salk in 1953, it greatly contributed to Americans in numerous positive ways. Environmentally, the vaccine saved countless young American lives affected by the disease thus decreasing American mortality rates. Socially, the polio vaccine convenienced families who were either directly afflicted

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a disease that attacks the nervous tissue in the spinal cord and the brain stem resulting in paralysis (Document One). Polio is caused by the poliovirus, but it is unknown how this virus is acquired. The virus enters the digestive tract and stays in the intestines for up to eight weeks, and then attacks the lymphatic system, the blood stream and eventually travels to the brain and spine (Document Four). Once it is infected in one’s body, the disease is highly contagious and can be spread through contact of saliva, food, germs, or feces (Document Two). “The poliovirus causes most of its infections in the summer and fall. At one time, summer epidemics of polio were common and greatly feared” (Document Four). This may

When the Polio outbreak was thriving in 1953, Jonas Salk wasn’t just lying around. He was tiredly working on the improvement of the Polio vaccine (Fact Check). The previous vaccine was unreliable and unaffective. It led some patients to be infected with Polio and die

This thought would be a myth. These diseases never really disappear, instead the number of cases drop extremely low and just aren't noticed by the majority of society anymore.5 In the United States, all 50 states have a mandatory vaccination law established within the schools to protect against diseases such as this.6 After the release of the first poliomyelitis vaccine in 1955, Jonas Salk was greatly thanked by many all around and this creation established a sense of relief from polio all over America and even the world.7 Warning of certain side effects were even given about this vaccine but that didn't stop anyone from getting it; after viewing how horrible polio was, society would do whatever possible to prevent it.8 The fact that those living during the 1900's, especially mid 1900's, witnessed everything that polio could do and even lost loved ones to it, established a greater desire for the vaccine. Even if some may have been against vaccines, it's the fear that they lived by which drove them to get it. There still were select people that were just so against vaccinations they never got it, but that meant that they were still at risk. As the years went on and cases of certain diseases such as polio decreased substantially, there was little fear among people since they were almost non-existent and some felt as if certain vaccinations were not

With the last outbreak of Polio in the US being in 1979, many today have no recollection of the terror of this disease. The disease primarily infected children, and there seemed to be no pattern to who succumbed to it. No one could feel safe. Polio as a disease presents such horrors that even those who overcome it once can be plagued by its aftereffects in later life. Before vaccines, single outbreaks could devastate entire communities. One outbreak

On March 26, 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk made an announcement that changed the world. He had successfully created and tested a vaccine against polio. At the time, polio was one of the most debilitating and feared of the childhood diseases, with over 33,000 cases reported in 1950 in the United States alone ("PHI: Incidence Rates of

All three strands attack the nervous system and the digestive tract, making fecal matter and vomit infectious. Polio may also be contracted through contaminated food or water. Due to the highly infectious nature of the poliovirus, epidemics were rampant in poor communities and among young children attending school. Epidemics swept the nation during the 1930s, 20s and 10s. People lived in fear of their children contracting such a harmful illness. Schools and swimming pools were closed in order to prevent the spread of the virus (Last). Mothers were warned against breastfeeding, as the virus had the potential to be spread through breast milk

Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a disease caused by the contraction of the poliovirus. Like influenza, smallpox and cholera, polio is a viral infection. This means that it is a disease caused by the spread of a virus. It spreads rapidly, and usually through person-to-person contact. In addition, this virus can also be distributed through foods or drinks contaminated by infected fecal matter. Although polio is deadly, sometimes, contractors of polio do not show any symptoms. The

Poliomyelitis, also commonly known as polio, is a viral infection that, at one point was virtually eradicated in the US (SOURCE). The last major epidemic of polio was in the early 1950's (SOURCE). Polio was characterized in one of three ways: nonparalytic

Poliomyelitis (polio) is an infectious disease caused by the polio virus and is spread from person to person through faecal-oral transmission which means; stool entering the mouth or consumption of food containing stool from an infection person. The poliovirus resides in the intestinal tract and mucus in the nose and throat. Contact with infected respiratory secretions or even saliva can cause poliovirus transmission. This mode of transmission is known as oral-oral transmission. Polio became prevalent in the United States of America (U.S) in the 1940s and 1950s.this was followed by outbreaks of the disease that crippled tens of thousands in North America. Polio eradication is aimed at reducing the global incidence of polio to zero through deliberate efforts to a point that it requires no further control. Polio eradication is to be achieved through interruption of endemic transmission of poliovirus through vaccination. This saw the wide use of the inactivated polio virus (IPV) that was administered orally (OPV); oral polio vaccine.

When hygienic conditions were poor polio attacked infants. The disease was spread by contaminated water and contact with fecal contamination. Many infants died when the conditions were poor. But as conditions improved the virus spread differently. It was spread more through playmates and family members, the contamination came from the

Poliomyelitis or Polio is an infectious viral disease that attacks the central nervous system and can cause temporary or permanent paralysis. Paralysis is the loss of the ability to move due to poison, injury or illness. In 1789 English physician Michael Underwood referred to polio as “a debility of the lower extremities.” However, the disease later became known as infantile paralysis because of its propensity to affect children. Polio mainly affects children five years of age and younger.

Polio is an infectious disease that has killed and paralyzed many people (Birth of Jonas Salk and the death of polio in India). It has taken the lives of

Viral replication in the spinal cord is what leads to muscle paralysis and poliomyelitis (Racaniello, 2005).

Poliomyelitis popularly known as polio was first described by Michael Underwood in 1789. It is a highly infectious viral disease which mostly affects children. The virus is transmitted from person to person via fecal-oral route and less frequent by common vehicle route like contaminated water or food. Polio is a member of the enteroviruses which are transient inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tracts and stable at acid pH. The incubation period for poliomyelitis is 6 to 20 days with a range of 3 to 35 days. The preclinical phase of poliomyelitis varies from asymptomatic to presentation of mild systemic symptoms ranging from pharyngitis or gastroenteritis thus it can mistake at the initial stage as a minor infection. About 95%