During the first year of his life, every child should be vaccinated against the most terrible diseases, in particular tetanus, hepatitis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tuberculosis and polio. Actually, the latter will be discussed further.
Polio in a child can occur through contact with patients with this disease, when eating unwashed vegetables, raw water, and also through feces (the so-called oral-fecal transmission method). The causative agent of the disease is a fairly stable virus. It can be stored for more than three days at room temperature, successfully resides in milk and other foods. Heat, ultraviolet light, disinfectants containing chlorine can overcome the virus. Poliomyelitis in a child begins when the pathogen enters the intestines, less often in the respiratory tract. It is then carried by the blood throughout the body. Its greatest danger lies in the ability to affect the nervous system, cause paralysis (often inevitable), contribute to the deformation of the limbs, cause death.
Main symptoms
Many diseases are difficult at oncediagnose due to their various manifestations. So is poliomyelitis. Symptoms in children largely depend on the period of the course of the disease. There are 4 in total:
1. Preparalytic. Its main manifestations are:
- general weakness;
- fatigue;
- disorders of the digestive system (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) if the virus enters the gastrointestinal tract;
- cough if airways are affected;
- headache;
- Kernig's symptom.
2. Paralytic. Recognized by signs such as:
- fluctuations in body temperature;
- bladder pain;
- paralysis of limbs;
- violation of the functions of individual muscle groups.
3. Restorative. Its main symptoms are:
- restoration of muscle function;
- temperature normalization;
- reduce pain.
4. Residual period. There is an improvement in the patient's condition, one can notice the main consequences of the disease (partial or complete paralysis, deformity of the limbs, muscle atrophy, etc.).
Fight disease
If a child has been diagnosed with polio, he must be taken to a hospital immediately. In case of paralysis of the respiratory tract, the patient enters the intensive care unit, where ventilation is carried out. If the disease has not gone so far, then polio is treated symptomatically. The patient must strictly observe bed rest. The mattress and pillow must be orthopedic. If noticeddeformation, then a plaster, splint is applied to the limbs of the patient. You can relieve pain and alleviate the condition through drug treatment.
Doctors recommend the use of analgesics, antihistamines and sedatives, as well as B vitamins. You can also get rid of pain thanks to warm baths and good wraps. Shown is therapeutic gymnastics, as well as massage, UHF therapy, air baths. In the hospital, the patient is treated for about 1-2 months. Then he should restore he alth at the resorts.
Polio Prevention
You can protect yourself from the disease. So, the main way to protect against polio is vaccination. It can be in the form of drops (live) or injection (inactivated). As a rule, the vaccine is tolerated quite easily and at the same time it is a good protection, since it involves the development of immunity to three types of virus. You can also prevent polio in a child thanks to:
- personal hygiene;
- no raw water;
- careful washing of products and, if possible, their heat treatment.
