Recognize the causes of polio, the absence of symptoms, but live in danger

Do you know why polio is not common in Indonesia? Indeed, there are still cases, but not many. Vaccination is one way to reduce the causes of polio.

Compared to now, in the past, polio was more real and frightening. WHO data show that in 1988 there were at least 350,000 deaths due to polio.

Compare that with 2018, where this case only happened 33 times in every corner of the world. What makes a disease that attacks children under 5 years can decrease dramatically?

Polio Vaccination and Controversy

A few decades ago, the polio vaccination campaign was not as extensive as it is today. Because of this, viruses can still be transmitted quickly.

But now the situation is different. The United States has even succeeded in completely eliminating the spread of polio. However, what about other countries?

At the end of April 2019, the Pakistani government asked Facebook to remove content that indicated that polio vaccination was threatening the lives of patients. This news caused a stir on social media in Pakistan.

The content has spread the news that many children have died after receiving the polio vaccine. The news also went viral. As a result, thousands of parents refuse to give the polio vaccine to their children.

Impact? Very fatal. At least three people died from the polio immunization campaign. In addition, polio is a very contagious disease in children.

This type of hoax propaganda not only harms Pakistan, but also the world's citizens.

What is polio?

Given its urgency, it is important to understand what polio is. This disease is very contagious and life threatening. This virus can be transmitted from one person to another and attacks the brain and spinal cord.

The impact of polio is paralysis or paralysis. However, 72 out of every 100 people infected with polio have no symptoms at first.

When symptoms appear, the child may be paralyzed. In addition, 10% of people with polio also die when the respiratory muscles are unable to function.

Causes of poliomyelitis

Polio virus is the cause of polio. This type of virus only attacks humans.

In children, they can become infected by touching objects contaminated with patient feces, such as toys, and putting their hands in their mouths. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to wash your hands under running water.

In addition, another cause of polio is lack of sanitation. The polio virus can live in stool for several weeks.

It is not impossible, the virus in this stool contaminates food until the water in the cleanliness place is not maintained.

How to prevent the spread of polio?

As with the case of Pakistan mentioned above, it is clear that the polio vaccine is the most important way to prevent the spread of polio.

The good news, 99 out of 100 children who have been vaccinated against polio will be protected from this disease.

Remember that poliomyelitis cannot be cured, it can only be prevented. Thanks to the discipline of polio immunization, the number of deaths due to poliomyelitis can be as much as 99 percent lower than three decades ago.

However, some cases still occur in African countries and the Middle East. This is why polio still exists because transmission can be transmitted to those who have not received the vaccine.

By giving polio vaccines to children, you have helped strengthen collective immunity, which in Indonesian is known as group immunity, which has an impact on the world.

The principle of group immunity is when you give a vaccine to someone, not only is he protected. In addition, the vaccine prevents wider disease transmission.

To do this, vaccines must be given to at least 95% of the population. That is why it is important to ensure that you participate in achieving group immunity.

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