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Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. It spreads from person to person, primarily through water or food that has been contaminated with fecal material from an infected individual. 1 out of 4 people infected with poliovirus shows signs of illness, that are usually limited to flu-like symptoms. But in some cases, polio can have more severe effects, such as paresthesia (feeling of pins and needles in the legs), meningitis (infection of the covering of the spinal cord and/or brain), and muscle weakness that leads to paralysis. Meningitis occurs in 1 out of 25 people infected with poliovirus, while paralysis or weakness in the arms and/or legs occurs in about 1 out of 200 people.
Paralysis is the most severe symptom associated with polio and can lead to permanent disability and death. Between 2 and 10 out of 100 people with paralysis die, because the virus affects the muscles associated with breathing. Most people who suffer from paralysis, especially children, can fully recover through intensive physical therapy and other types of supportive care, but up to 30% of adults affected by the muscle weakness or paralysis die. Furthermore, children that went through successful recovery can still develop new muscle pain, weakness, or paralysis as adults. This condition is called post-polio syndrome.
There is still no cure for polio, but extensive vaccination efforts over the last three decades led to a dramatic decrease in cases. In 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio across 125 countries and in 2018, there were only 33 cases recorded in two countries. There are currently two types of polio vaccines: the oral polio vaccine (OPV) and the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). OPV is administered orally and can be given by volunteers, while IPV is given by injection and, therefore, needs to be administered by a trained health worker. IPV is extremely effective in protecting children from polio but cannot stop the spread of virus in a community.
References
"GPEI (Global Polio Eradication Initiative) Information." CDC.gov.
"History of Polio." Polioeradication.org.
"Poliomyelitis (polio)." World Health Organization.
"Polio Vaccines: WHO Position Paper." Weekly Epidemiological Record, vol. 91, No. 12 (2016): 145-168.
Rath, Elizabeth H. "Here Comes the Bloodmobile." The American Journal of Nursing, vol. 54, No. 3 (Mar., 1954): 317-318.
"Vaccine (shot) for Polio." CDC.gov.
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Los Angeles Children Lined up for Salk Anti-polio Shots, 1955. Black and white photograph.
Los Angeles Children Lined up for Salk Anti-polio Shots, 1955. Black and white photograph.
A black-and-white photograph shows nine Los Angeles children wearing school uniforms lined up for Salk anti-polio shots on April 18, 1955. All have the left sleeve of their shirts rolled up as the shots would be administered on the shoulder area. These pupils at St. Vibiana's Parochial School were among the first recipients of polio vaccinations in LA.
Karl K. Knecht, Blood Donation Comic, 1950s. Black and white illustration.
Karl K. Knecht, Blood Donation Comic, 1950s. Black and white illustration.
This comic urges people to donate blood for the American soldiers in Korea and polio patients in the US. The central element of the image is a truck with an inscription “BLOODMOBILE” between two medical cross emblems on the front and on the side of the cargo container. A drop of blood drawn as if falling from above is labeled “Your Pint o’Blood.” In the top half of the comic are two speech bubbles. One of them portrays a nurse taking care of a wounded soldier being treated in a military hospital; the other one portrays a polio patient (likely a child) lying in bed.
In the 1950s, the American Red Cross ran mobile blood units mobile blood units that would stop at the local community centers or churches. This allowed for time-efficient blood collection that was also comfortable and convenient for the potential donors, who might not have had the means to get to a local blood bank. Bloodmobiles are still run by the Red Cross and the Red Crescent organizations across the world.
Polio Fighters, 1950s. Black and white photograph.
Polio Fighters, 1950s. Black and white photograph.
This image portrays 18 members of the Allen County, Indiana fire department’s polio emergency squad, who are being instructed by Fire Captain Maine Graft on how to handle a polio patient in an iron lung. The volunteer squad was expected to be on call 24 hours a day.
An iron lung is a type of a negative pressure ventilator, a mechanical respirator which encloses most of a person's body and stimulates breathing by repeatedly increasing and decreasing the pressure inside the tank. It is used to support polio patients who cannot breathe independently after losing muscle control. The iron lung was widely used during polio outbreaks, even though it is considered obsolete today.
Lessons from the Past
Lessons from the Past
With such a small number of documented cases of wild polio in the modern day, it might be easy to forget the impact it had on humanity before the extensive immunization efforts across the world dramatically limited its spread. Many people are also not aware of its life-long effects that can manifest in post-polio syndrome in people who suffered from polio in their childhood. And since no cure for it has been found, it is possible (although, unlikely) for this disease to reemerge.
However, we can choose to learn from the past experiences and to stay educated and aware of such issues in the present. The lack of cure motivated scientists and world leaders in the 20th century to develop and maintain successful preventative measures and strategies for supportive care. And just like with other historical pandemics, this precedent provided us with the groundwork to fight against more novel infectious diseases.
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