- Main symptoms
- What causes childhood paralysis
- Possible sequelae of infantile paralysis
- How to prevent childhood paralysis
Childhood paralysis, also known scientifically as polio, is a serious infectious disease that can cause permanent paralysis in certain muscles and that usually affects children, but can also occur in the elderly and adults with weakened immune systems.
Since childhood paralysis has no cure if it affects the muscles, it is advisable to prevent the disease, which consists of taking the polio vaccine, which can be administered from 6 weeks of age, divided into 5 doses. See how the vaccination is made that protects against the disease.
Main symptoms
The first symptoms of polio usually include sore throat, excessive tiredness, headache and fever, and can therefore easily be mistaken for the flu.
These symptoms usually disappear after 5 days without specific treatment, however, in some children and adults with weakened immune systems, the infection can develop for complications such as meningitis and paralysis, causing symptoms such as:
- Severe pain in the back, neck and muscles; paralysis of one of the legs, one of the arms, of the thoracic or abdominal muscles; difficulty in urinating.
Although it is more rare, there may still be difficulty in speaking and swallowing, which can cause respiratory failure due to the accumulation of secretions in the airways.
See what treatment options are available for polio.
What causes childhood paralysis
The cause of infantile paralysis is contamination with poliovirus, which can occur through oral-fecal contact, when it has not been properly vaccinated against polio.
Possible sequelae of infantile paralysis
The sequelae of infantile paralysis are related to the impairment of the nervous system and, therefore, can appear:
- Permanent paralysis of one of the legs; Paralysis of the speech muscles and the act of swallowing, which can lead to the accumulation of secretions in the mouth and throat.
People who have suffered from childhood paralysis for more than 30 years may also develop post-polio syndrome, which causes symptoms such as weakness, a feeling of shortness of breath, difficulty in swallowing, fatigue and muscle pain, even in non-paralyzed muscles. In this case, physiotherapy performed with muscle stretching and breathing exercises can help control the symptoms of the disease.
Learn about the main sequelae of childhood paralysis.
How to prevent childhood paralysis
The best way to prevent childhood paralysis is to get the polio vaccine:
- Babies and children: the vaccine is made in 5 doses. Three are given at two-month intervals (2, 4 and 6 months of age) and the vaccine is boosted at 15 months and 4 years of age. Adults: 3 doses of the vaccine are recommended, the second dose should be applied 1 or 2 months after the first and the third dose should be applied after 6 to 12 months after the second dose.
Adults who have not had the vaccine in childhood can be vaccinated at any age, but especially when they need to travel to countries with high numbers of polio cases.
