Talk to your doctor about the polio vaccine if you aren’t yet vaccinated.
Polio is a debilitating disease that can take your life or leave you permanently crippled. It was once an illness that caused extensive panic in the US as outbreaks in the 1940s caused disability in over 35,000 people annually. The virus tended to seek its peak in the summertime, leaving parents worried about letting their children go outside to enjoy basic fun at local swimming pools and childhood birthday parties. Thankfully, things changed.
In 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk introduced a vaccine for polio and this began to be distributed. By 1979, polio was eradicated from the US with no known cases originating on American soil. But now things have changed again, for the worse. In July 2022, health officials announced the virus had been detected in Rockland County wastewater in New York state.
Strikingly, a senior official speaking with CNN said this is likely only the tip of the iceberg. They warned there must now be several hundred cases of polio circulating in the community.
Reports indicate Rockland is known to have a low polio vaccination rate and that many people who have polio are asymptomatic. Essentially, they don’t even know they’re sick. This is why “silent spread” is so feared when it comes to this disease.
Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have traveled to the Rockland area to analyze the situation and fear things could become worse quickly. Here’s what you can do.
Contact your doctor if your immunocompromised
If you know you’re immunocompromised, it can be a good idea to contact your doctor. This is true even if you’re already vaccinated against polio. The trouble is, vaccinated immunocompromised people may not have as strong protection from polio as their immune system isn’t as hefty as normal. If this is you and you come in contact with the virus, you could potentially fall sick. While over 90% of the US population is currently vaccinated against this disease, you don’t want to take your chances.Your doctor can recommend what action is best to take going forwards in order to gain the best polio protection.
Related: How long should you isolate if you test positive for COVID-19?
If you’re unvaccinated, consider getting the polio vaccine
In addition, it can be a good idea to get vaccinated against polio if you aren’t yet already. Just under 10% of the US population isn’t vaccinated against this disease and this sounds like a small number of people but it could result in another public health emergency. Remember, just under 10% of the population adds up to millions of people. Getting your polio vaccine can prevent you from suffering serious consequences from falling sick including becoming crippled for life or dying. Yes, it’s serious stuff.
The real facts
It’s true that around 75% of people who catch polio won’t even develop symptoms. Lucky them! The other 25%, however, can experience the following symptoms:
- fever
- headache
- nausea
- fatigue
- stomach trouble
- a sore throat
The more serious symptoms of polio include:
- stiffness in your back and neck
- severe muscle pain
- paralysis
- death from not being able to breathe
People who die from polio do so because the virus affects their muscles and this includes the muscles that help you breathe. In addition, people who recover fully from polio can experience a re-awakening of the virus decades later, something that’s known as post-polio syndrome. Records show about 1 in 200 people who are infected with the virus become paralyzed, and a few of these individuals die.
It’s unfortunate that polio has come back to the US when it has been kept at bay for so long. Contact your doctor about the polio vaccine and find out if you’re protected. There is no cure for this disease once you fall sick. It can, however, be prevented through vaccination.
photo credits: podsy/Shutterstock.com
