Poliomyelitis - what is this disease? Causes, symptoms and treatment of poliomyelitis. Vaccination against poliomyelitis

Today, there are many different diseases that a person encounters very rarely. However, the state continues to vaccinate children. So, poliomyelitis: what kind of illness is it, what are its characteristics, and do we need to vaccinate children against this disease today? Let's talk about this further.

Basic information about the disease

First we need to understand what exactly will be discussed. Poliomyelitis - what kind of illness is it? Initially, it should be noted that this is an infectious disease. It is caused by an intestinal virus that lives in the human body in the intestine or in the pharynx. But the danger is that it is capable of affecting the spinal cord and brain. It should also be noted that poliomyelitis in the people has a different name - children's dorsal paralysis. They are mostly ill with kids ranging in age from several months to 6 years. Most often affected muscles of the child.

The methods of transmission

Poliomyelitis - what is this disease, how is it transmitted?

This is a very contagious disease. Methods of transmission of infection :

• By air;
• Through dirty hands;
• With the help of water or food;
• Together with feces (for example, when changing a diaper to a baby).

The virus enters the human body through the respiratory tract - the nose or mouth, from where it moves directly into the small intestine. There it settles down during the incubation period. After that, the virus enters the bloodstream, where antibodies must be developed against it. In most cases, it happens. The child carries the disease, after which he develops a lifelong, permanent immunity to this problem.

It is important to note that the virus itself is very tenacious. In the external environment, it can persist for six months, perfectly tolerates both drying and freezing.

A little history

This childhood disease (poliomyelitis) was considered a scourge of humanity until the middle of the last century. Especially often it hit Europeans, causing a huge number of child deaths. However, in the 1950s, scientists succeeded in inventing an effective vaccine, and poliomyelitis ceased to be a fatal disease. In the territory of the former Soviet Union, physicians fully coped with this problem before 1961. However, some time ago, in 2010, a new outbreak of poliomyelitis was recorded in Tajikistan, where nearly 700 people were sick at once. At the same time, 26 cases resulted in death. At the same time, the virus penetrated into the territory of Russia, where now and again affects unvaccinated children.

About a living and non-living virus

What kind of diseases does poliomyelitis replenish? Infectious diseases that are characterized by formidable complications and can result in death. That's why recently, doctors strongly advise parents to vaccinate children. But even here there is one nuance. The virus of poliomyelitis, which penetrated the territory of the state, is considered "wild". And those vaccines that were used earlier, with this virus are ineffective.

Until 2014, a vaccine with non-living cell structures was used. It was called inactivated. Now scientists agreed that such prevention is ineffective. That is why it is now more relevant to use a "live" vaccine. In this case, pediatricians note that two inoculations, which are made before the first year of life, will be produced as yet inactivated drug, as it was done before.

On the Danger of a "Living Vaccine"

The name "live vaccine" often frightens many parents. After all, no one wants to knowingly infect their child. Is it really dangerous in fact, as it might seem at first glance? Physicians assert that the risk of the disease after such a vaccination is completely absent. Moreover, it also protects against all complications, since the body becomes resistant to all strains of the virus. But still such a vaccine is not vaccinated children with HIV infection and those who are weakened from birth immunity.

On the curability of the disease

What else do you need to know about a disease like polio? Each patient has his own story. It all depends on how it flowed.

1. In most cases, and this is more than 90%, poliomyelitis is asymptomatic. The child does not feel anything, his activity is at the usual level. At the same time, such children are the carriers of the disease.
2. Approximately in 5% of cases the baby can feel slight malaise. It can be a muscle weakness, a breakdown.
3. Approximately 1-2% of cases in children against the background of poliomyelitis develops meningitis, which, incidentally, does not lead to paralysis.
4. And in less than 1% of cases, children experience paralysis.

Also, doctors say that after a paralysis a child can recover both partially and completely. It will happen about a year after recovery. During this time, the baby can come back to normal.

About the types of disease

Having dealt with what is polio, what kind of disease, it is necessary to consider the main forms of the disease. There are three of them, they differ in clinical pictures.

1. Abortive form. Arises most often. Symptoms are similar to other diseases. It is acute, the symptoms disappear after 3-5 days. Diagnosed polio in this case, not immediately, because the clinical picture is very similar to the flu, colds, intestinal disorders.
2. Meningeal form. The course of this kind of disease is more severe, because the shell of the brain is affected, where the virus penetrates.
3. Paralytic form. In this case, the motor neurons of the spinal cord, and in rare cases, the brain, are affected.

Depending on the type of illness, the symptomatology also differs.

Symptoms of poliomyelitis

How is the disease of poliomyelitis manifested? Symptoms - that's what will help to recognize a dangerous ailment. As already mentioned above, most often it is the abortive form of the disease. In this case, everything starts very sharply: the temperature rises, there may be a slight cough and nasal congestion. Also there is increased sweating, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain. But it should be noted that even in more cases the child practically does not feel anything and the illness for the baby passes unnoticed and without consequences.

With a meningic form, everything is much more complicated and dangerous. When the inflammatory process affects the patient's brain shell, severe headaches can occur, which are not removed by medication. Quite often there is a vomiting in patients, which is completely unrelated to eating and as a result does not bring the desired relief. Also, doctors sometimes diagnose other meningic symptoms.

The most dangerous and severe is the paralytic form of poliomyelitis. However, it rarely occurs here. Symptomatology depends on the course of the disease:

• In the spinal version, the patient will have peripheral paralysis of sluggish flow, which can asymmetrically cover the limbs. There are also muscle pains, muscle tremors, urinary incontinence or constipation.
• Bulbar paralysis is the most dangerous. With this form, the part of the spinal cord that is responsible for the work of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems is affected. Symptoms can be as follows: nasal congestion, shortness of breath, speech problems, psychomotor agitation, increase or fall of blood pressure. It should also be noted that if, with this variant of the disease, the patient does not receive proper medical care, everything can end in a lethal outcome within 2-3 days.
• The pontine variant differs in that in this case the nucleus of the facial nerve is affected. The prognosis is favorable.

External manifestation of the disease

What does poliomyelitis look like? Photos of patients are very different. It all depends on the form of the disease. As already mentioned above, most often this problem does not affect the appearance of the patient. Sometimes, there may be atrophy of the muscles of the back or face, which will last a lifetime. In rare cases, children become disabled. So the disease of poliomyelitis can be very different, the photos of the patients are another confirmation of this. It is impossible to treat the problem simply and carelessly, even if the percentage of severe cases is very low.

About vaccination

What should I do not to get sick with polio? Doctors advise all children to get vaccinated on time. There are two ways:

• Using an inactivated vaccine. In this case, the child is given an injection.
• With the help of a live attenuated vaccine, which is injected through the mouth as droplets. They have a light salty taste.

After the procedure, the body acquires a permanent immunity from poliomyelitis. The child will never become infected.

Often parents ask pediatricians the question: "Is it possible to do the vaccination after the disease from poliomyelitis or not?" The answer is unequivocal: no. Why is it so? It's simple. A person can acquire immunity to poliomyelitis in two cases:

• After vaccination;
• After the transferred illness.

So vaccination against poliomyelitis after the disease is a completely useless action. And any doctor will not vaccinate a patient who has already been sick.

Diagnosis of the disease

How can you recognize this disease? In most cases, you can not do this with a simple examination, relying only on one symptom. The final diagnosis of the doctor is made only after laboratory tests. In the first couple of weeks, the virus can be "seen" in the secretions from the nasopharynx, after this time the virus is identified in the stool. Other materials for research - blood, cerebrospinal fluid.

Treatment of the disease

We figured out how much after the illness it is possible to vaccinate against poliomyelitis (and whether it is necessary), what are the features of the disease. Next, I want to talk about how to cope with this problem. Initially, it should be noted that at home polio can not be cured, regardless of the form of the disease. In this case, people's methods will not help either. Only medical help will give the desired effect.

From poliomyelitis there is no single medicine, doctors help the patient in a complex, using different medications together with physiotherapy procedures. This significantly accelerates the process of recovery of patients. What medicines are relevant in this case:

• The drug "Paracetamol". It has both antipyretic and analgesic effect.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen or Aspirin.
• If there are problems with the stool, laxatives may be prescribed, as well as rehydrates. These are medications such as "Regidron" or "Smecta".

At the same time, various physiotherapeutic procedures will be very useful, the purpose of which is to restore the functionality of the limbs. During the acute phase, special pads are placed under the joints for the patients, which do not allow parts of the body to deform. To reduce the pain syndrome, tires can be superimposed. At a certain stage of recovery, patients can rigidly fix the limbs to stabilize the work and restore the form, and not just to reduce pain, as is done at the acute stage of the disease.

If we talk about physiotherapy, then the following procedures can be useful:

• Hydrotherapy, or treatment with water;
• Magnetotherapy, when the body is affected by magnetic fields;
• Electrostimulation is the excitation of muscles with the help of low-frequency current;
• Various difficulty physical exercises.

What else do you need to know about a problem like polio? The history of patients' illness varies, everything depends on the form of the disease, individual characteristics of the body, immunity and correctness of treatment.

Nuances important in poliomyelitis

Having figured out whether it is possible to get an inoculation against poliomyelitis after the illness, and how this disease generally occurs, it should be noted that bed rest is very important for this problem. First of all, it is needed in order to reduce the risk of developing a paralytic form. Secondly, it provides optimal conditions for the functioning of the weakened organism. As for nutrition, there are no strict limitations. If there is a malfunction in the intestine, then you need to adjust the diet, consuming only boiled or steamed dishes.

Consequences and complications of the disease

What is the risk of poliomyelitis? The consequences of the disease with this virus problem can be very different. So, among the complications most often happens:

• Respiratory failure. Occurs when the respiratory muscle is affected.
• Myocarditis (this is an inflammatory process in the heart muscle), which knocks down the work of the heart.
• Various intestinal lesions. Can develop intestinal obstruction, bleeding, indigestion.

All these complications are very dangerous and can lead to death.

What diseases can occur after poliomyelitis? The most varied - from ARVI and angina to intestinal disorders. In most cases, directly with the transferred disease is not connected in any way, rather the reason is the weakened immunity. But there is also such a thing as post-poliomyelitis syndrome. It is characterized by:

• Muscle weakness and pain;
• fast fatiguability;
• Violation of gait;
• Swallowing disorders;
• dyspnea.

This is a neurological illness that can occur even 10 years after the childhood illness. The exact cause of its occurrence to physicians is still unknown.