Sorry to get your hopes up we are not discussing the famous childhood game Marco Polo, but instead we are discussing the deadly and very contagious virus called Polio. The Poliovirus is a virus that is highly contagious and deadly. The virus attacks the central nervous system, which in some cases can lead to paralysis and death, if you would like to learn more about the Poliovirus I refer to you the trusty CDC website.
The best way to protect yourself from this virus is through two types of vaccines for Polio called the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) and the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) . These vaccines have been very successful in ridding the virus in many developed nations, the nations that are at risk are developing nations that do not have access to these vaccinations.
The OPV is derived from live polio virus, proving to be very effective in protection against the virus but can lead to complications. Since, OPV contains live polio virus the person who receives this vaccine continuously sheds the disease and is infectious to others. Not only are the people contagious and pose a threat to the non-vaccinated, but can infect the person that received the vaccine with a wild type strain of the Polio Virus.
The IPV is a vaccine that does not contain live polio virus, but dead polio virus so that the person receiving the vaccine cannot actively shed the virus and infect others.
These vaccines have helped the United States be polio-free since 1979, but the polio virus still affects nations around the world. In Pakistan, Polio is endemic meaning it is constantly occurring in the country. According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, there have been 17 reported cases of the Polio Virus in Pakistan and 144 in 2019. Outside of Pakistan, there have been outbreaks in Africa, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
Thank you for tuning into this weeks edition of Matty Ice’s Blog, that each week literally scares the poopy out of me researching these things to tell you about but hey all good vibes here! Matty Ice signing off peace!
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