Poliomylitis is Alive and Deadly in the East

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

My link

Pakistan is a Muslim country, and pilgrimages to Mecca are common. Mecca is a common meeting place for all Muslims. This could become a world pandemic.

Is your Polio immunization current?

When I was a kid, Polio was endemic, world wide. Some of my friends died of it, and some were paralyzed. In a non-immune population this can be very bad. The most prominent victim I can think of was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. You may not think it from the news clips, but he wore leg-braces and mostly got around on crutches or in a wheel-chair. Literature reference "Sunrise at Campobello".

I can't think of a more terrifying piece of news.

[Meg 368]

ugh. It's not good seeing "old" diseases make a comeback.

When I was a kid, they gave us the polio vaccine in school. Marched us down the hall to the cafeteria. I remember the tray of little white cups, each containing a sugar cube that had some colorful liquid squirted onto it. We each got a cup and were expected to eat the sugar cube.

There were multiple doses. This didn't just happen once. I'm guessing the purpose of the sugar cube was to kill a nasty taste.

Since it was basically an issue of "get out of class and go eat some sugar", none of us kids objected.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

I don't have any young kids anymore. What happens now for polio immunization?

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[Meg 368]

I don't think it is done anymore in developed countries. At least, I don't recall ever getting it. Is it the one that leaves a huge scar on the upper arm, or was that for measles or mumps or whaever?

The one with 16 or so pinpricks that leave a circle? That's for smallpox. Most people got it on the side of their upper arm. Mine is on the back of my shoulder.

I hear they don't do that one anymore since it has been eradicated.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

My mother (born in the 1960s) received the TB vaccination in elementary school. A classmate was a carrier (like Typhoid Mary) so everyone was required to get shots except him. She fainted every time.

[Meg 368]

yeah, that one was going around too. The principal at a local elementary school had it. (To quote my brother: "We always knew she was diseased!")

As I recall, the test involved a short four prong needle stuck in the forearm. That thing hurt. "needle" is too nice a term for it. The prongs were wider than that.

[Easy Bakes 253]

They have had a couple dozen kids test positive for TB in Enis tx.Thanks for confirming there IS a vaccine for it.

TB or Not TB

the problem is no one is really enforceing the immunization requirements for school kids anymore.

usually only after the the breakouts do they find out how many kid shot records were not up to date or non existant.

dont get them shots and you dont go to school, no arguments, thats it.there are so many places that do them for free anyways it should not be a problem.

[Meg 368]

Some of the vaccines are questionable, most notably the chicken pox vaccine. For those who haven't had it, chicken pox isn't fun but it isn't all that serious. It looks something like this:

Those red bumps itch like crazy and, if you scratch them off, they will leave a scar behind. My sister and I spent weeks one summer hanging out in "oatmeal baths" because they made the itching stop. I still have scars from it but they are pretty faded now and it's more difficult to find them.

Having chicken pox as a kid usually leaves behind a lifetime immunity. and a tendency to get shingles when the immune system is suppressed.

The chicken pox vaccine, however, lasts only 10 years or so. The vaccine needs to be re-administered to young teenagers. It is easy to forget to do that and having it as a teen or an adult is much harsher than having it as a child.

Of course, the counter argument to that is, not all childhood cases are mild. It can be dangerous so it should be prevented. I remember it as annoying.

I remember the measles as being worse. I think I was more feverish then. and the measles is more likely to have complications.

[Easy Bakes 253]

I dont think the vaccines are as bad for people as they used to be.

Some are alergic to the additives. but one some these have been removed.

  Edited September 22, 2011 by Easy Bakes  

[fukuda 351]

When I was a kid, Polio was endemic, world wide. Some of my friends died of it, and some were paralyzed. In a non-immune population this can be very bad. The most prominent victim I can think of was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. You may not think it from the news clips, but he wore leg-braces and mostly got around on crutches or in a wheel-chair. Literature reference "Sunrise at Campobello".

Polio really is a unique disease. Back in the old days of your parent's generation polio was an unnoticed harmless viral infection that was suddenly turned into a devastating disease.

This was unknown back then, but polio virus is just an acid-resistant version of the common cold virus, able to go through the stomach and infecting the bowels. No biggie. But it only does so during early childhood.

And that was the real problem. Back then, children would play outside in the dirt, live in not so hygienic conditions and get infected with polio virus when they were still quite young. This way the virus would just attack their bowels and our great-grandparents were immunized against it afterwards.

But that situation was going to change. Way stricter hygienic measures were upheld all around the developed world, greatly diminishing the incidence of most childhood diseases and limiting the children's early contact with the virus at the same time.

The really problematic thing is, polio virus changes its cellular targets in older people! It no longer targets bowel cells, now it targets motor neurons instead... killing them and causing paralysis in the process.

Older people being already immunized to it, the disease seemed to mostly affect children and was obviosuly regarded as a new disease.

It sadly caused many deaths and lots of kids had to live their entire lives inside an iron lung... The last kids afflicted by the disease circa 50 years ago are still living inside their iron lungs today....

Pakistan is a Muslim country, and pilgrimages to Mecca are common. Mecca is a common meeting place for all Muslims. This could become a world pandemic.

The rise of polio motor symptoms in muslim countries (and China) reflects a positive trend towards development and sadly it also reflects a lack of vaccination.

Polio can only be managed effectively if the causing process is well taken into account... The virus is there in non-developed countries, it's just hidden because there is not enough hygiene. But authorities didn't take this into account and thought it was unnecessary... There was no visible disease after all.. And that's when they didn't directly oppose it as in some african countries.

I don't think it is done anymore in developed countries.

Yes, polio vaccines are still administered to little children as oral drops in most developed countries.

But vaccination efforts have been hindered by some anti-vaccine groups in the past, and there's still some resistance.

  Edited September 21, 2011 by fukuda  

[Alejandro24 575]

This is serious. As far as I know, here in Mexico the vaccines of poliomylitis are administrated from the birth untill six years old, they are supplied twice a year and the vaccine are obligatory (actually, all the vaccines are obligatory). I don't know how is in another countries.

[Duke87 1,070]

While this sucks for Pakistan, it shouldn't be cause for concern locally since, you know, vaccines.

In other news, this thread has inspired me to change my avatar.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

This is a wake-up call. It reminds me that my tetanus immunization is not up to date. I am having my annual physical next month, and I'll be sure to ask then.

So-called childhood diseases arising in the middle and far east should remind us all that these things are still around, and are likely to be more virulent now. Also, the chicken-pox virus is the same one that causes shingles in an adult. Believe me, I've been there and done that, and you don't want it.

[navyrules 1]

Well... that's not good... oh and by the way smallpox hasn't "technically" been eradicated... there are still some spores left for research at the CDC and the Russian equivalent... For a while, people were afraid that terrorists would break into either of the agencies and steal some spores and create a bio weapon... thankfully that did not happen... but yeah this is serious... polio is dangerous, I'd go make sure you're up to date on your vaccines (even though like 5 people have already said that on this thread)

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Well, I got my flu shot, but forgot about my tetanus shot. I'll try to remember.