Why polio remains a threat even to vaccinated countries, Tula doctors reveal

this Saturday, October 24, is World Polio Day. Despite significant success in the fight against the infection, the risk of its return remains, so experts remind of the importance of timely vaccination, told “MK in Tula” in the press service of the regional Department of Rospotrebnadzor.

In 1988, polio was spread in 125 countries. Multi-year mass immunization has significantly reduced the number of cases and eliminated transmission on selected continents. However, to maintain the results achieved, it is necessary to maintain a high level of vaccination of the population.

Russia, including the Tula region, has had the status of a polio-free territory since 2002, sanitary doctors assured. At the same time, the risk of importation of infection cannot be completely excluded. Today, transmission of wild poliovirus continues to be reported in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. As long as the virus persists in at least one part of the world, the risk of infection remains relevant for other countries.

Poliovirus is transmitted from person to person mainly by fecal-oral route – in particular, through contaminated water and food. The source of infection for tulas can be both a sick person and a carrier of the virus. Polio most often affects children under five years of age, but adults can also become infected.

There is no specific cure for polio, but vaccination helps prevent the disease. A full course of vaccinations provides Tula with long-term protection, which, according to the World Health Organization, can persist throughout life.

In Russia, vaccinations against polio are made in accordance with the national calendar of preventive vaccinations. The first vaccination children are at the age of three months, then at four and a half and six months. Revaccination is carried out at 18 and 20 months, and at six years.

Earlier, “MK in Tula” reported on the situation with SARS and influenza in the region. According to the Department of Rospotrebnadzor in the Tula region, for one of the past weeks registered 4 399 cases of SARS. At the same time, the incidence remained at the seasonal level: excesses of epidemic thresholds were not recorded either among the entire population or in certain age groups. Experts recommended that residents observe preventive measures to reduce the risk of infection and protect loved ones.