Poliomyelitis is one of the most rampant disabilities in Nigeria. The World Health Organization (WHO) had announced that polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria, leaving the devastating disease endemic in only two countries and bringing the world one major step closer to achieving this goal of ending polio for good.
Yet, it remains one of the leading causes of physical disabilities in Nigeria.
As a young man, Roosevelt was crippled as a consequence of a deadly viral infection called polio. Yet, President Delano Roosevelt became one of the greatest presidents of the United States and the longest-serving president- longer than anybody.
We may be able to do better.
Still, our children and adolescents should not suffer a disability that’s caused by this disease. We want to sensitize the public about polio. Polio should, in this rapidly advancing time, cease to be a major cause of physical disability.
The causes of disabilities, particularly physical health exceptionalities such as spinal cord and skeletal disorders, juvenile arthritis, limb deficiencies, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis may be numerous, there is no major cause of these physically crippling conditions other than poliomyelitis, a very, very serious and highly communicable viral disease.
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis is caused by a virus. The virus, after it gets into the body attacks and destroys nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord- important parts of the brain that are responsible for balance and posture, including a whole host of fine motor operations. And then the deadly germ subsequently causes muscle wasting and an inability to move (paralysis).
Mechanism of Infection
The virus enters the body through the mouth- spread from contaminable things that could be transferred into the body of a person including feces, sneeze/cough droplets, as well as food and water.
On entry, the virus multiplies, inhabiting strategic places including throats and intestines (these speak for why polio is so contagious).
An individual can get infected if he or she has feces in their hand and touch their mouth. Similarly, the germ can be contracted when a person puts in their mouth objects like toys and stuff that are contaminated with poop. Polio is a fecal-oral route type of viral disease.
Polio is a very disabling disease. With no cure, a single polio outbreak can result in an endemic condition and destroy numerous families and communities.
Symptoms
The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), a United States government major health agency reports that most people who get infected with poliovirus infection will not have any visible symptoms. However, common signs and symptoms of polio include sore throat, fever, fatigue, nausea, headache, and stomach/abdominal pain.
Prevention
Handwashing has been a traditional technique of preventing diseases, including the contract of polio. Still, the single greatest, most effective way of preventing this particular infection is vaccination.
Vaccination- the process of injecting healthy persons a substance to prevent disease, is practiced in many countries, including Nigeria.
The Polio vaccine is usually given to babies and young children so that they are protected from the diseases as soon as possible. Vaccines also exist for many diseases, including chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella all of which are potential causes of physical and sensory disabilities such as hearing and visual impairments.
In an impoverished nation of over 280 million people, with tens of thousands of newborns daily, Nigeria has found the administration of vaccination to be a costly exercise, resulting in the continual presence of this deadly virus.
With acts of generosity of civil societies, together with the taking of responsibilities for our own lives- by making deliberate conscious decisions to get immunization for our kids, as well as cultivating healthy, sanitary habits, polio should cease to be a leading cause of physical disability in Nigeria.
It should be wiped off absolutely.