October 24 (today) is observed every year as the World Polio Day which assumes greater significance for Pakistan because it is one of the only two countries left in the world where the devastating of poliomyelitis still exists. The other country is Afghanistan.

Poliomyelitis, or Polio in short, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. It primarily affects children under the age of five. But it can also infect an unvaccinated person of any age. The poliovirus attacks the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of a few hours. Irreversible paralysis, usually of the leg, occurs in about one in 200 cases. And among those paralyzed, 5 to 10 percent die when breathing muscles become immobilized.

No cure for polio has been discovered yet. But fortunately, it can be prevented through vaccination, which needs to be during Routine Immunization, which is at birth, then six weeks, 10 week and 14 weeks. Due to low Routine Immunization in most parts of the country, we need to administer polio vaccine drops multiple times, which offers protection and builds immunity against the polio virus.

Polio has perhaps existed for thousands of years, although it was recognized as a virus-caused contagious disease only in the past 100 years or........

© Business Recorder