A polio case in New York — the first U.S. case in almost a decade — has sparked plenty of questions about the virus considered nearly eradicated
The New York health department reported the country’s first case of polio in almost a decade on Thursday, which has sparked plenty of questions about whether polio was eradicated, who still gets vaccinated against the potentially paralyzing virus, as well as how it spreads.
So here’s what you need to know about polio, drawn from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A smaller proportion of people can develop more serious symptoms affecting their brain and spinal cord. These include paresthesia and meningitis of an infected individual. Less commonly, it can spread from droplets sprayed by the sneeze or cough of an infected person.
How is polio treated? The WHO notes that there is no cure for polio, and what treatments that are available focus on alleviating or limiting symptoms, such as heat and physical therapy to stimulate muscles. Some antispasmodic drugs are used to relax the affected muscles, but there is no way to reverse permanent polio paralysis.
Are polio vaccines still required in the U.S.? Do kids still get polio vaccines? Yes, the CDC recommends that infants and children get four doses of the inactivated poliovirus vaccine, given by a shot in the leg or the arm, on the following schedule: one dose at 2 months old; one dose at 4 months old; one dose sometime 6 through 18 months old; and one more dose between 4 and 6 years old.
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