{"id":1477,"date":"2019-09-03T11:22:29","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T10:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thinksite.co.za\/africacdc\/?post_type=disease&p=1477"},"modified":"2020-03-17T13:33:33","modified_gmt":"2020-03-17T13:33:33","slug":"poliomyelitis-polio","status":"publish","type":"disease","link":"https:\/\/africacdc.org\/disease\/poliomyelitis-polio\/","title":{"rendered":"Poliomyelitis (Polio)"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. Polio mainly affects children under 5 years of age. Cases due to wild poliovirus have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350 000 cases then, to 22 reported cases in 2017. As a result of the global effort to eradicate the disease, more than 16 million people have been saved from paralysis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The polio virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs. 1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented by vaccine. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Recent Outbreaks in Africa<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Year<\/strong><\/td>\r\nCountries<\/strong><\/td>\r\nCases<\/strong><\/td>\r\nDeaths<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
2018<\/td>\r\nSomalia<\/td>\r\n3<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
DRC<\/td>\r\n3<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Nigeria<\/td>\r\n16<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
2017<\/td>\r\nDRC<\/td>\r\n4<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
2016<\/td>\r\nNigeria<\/td>\r\n3<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
2015<\/td>\r\nMadagascar<\/td>\r\n8<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
2014<\/td>\r\nCameroon<\/td>\r\n9<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Equatorial Guinea<\/td>\r\n5<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
South Sudan<\/td>\r\n2<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
2013<\/td>\r\nSomalia<\/td>\r\n174<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Kenya<\/td>\r\n14<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Ethiopia<\/td>\r\n3<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
2010<\/td>\r\nCongo<\/td>\r\n184<\/td>\r\n85<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Angola<\/td>\r\n15<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
2009<\/td>\r\nNigeria<\/td>\r\n258<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Angola<\/td>\r\n29<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
2008<\/td>\r\nNigeria<\/td>\r\n32<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Angola<\/td>\r\n29<\/td>\r\n–<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. Polio mainly affects children under 5 years of age. Cases due to wild poliovirus have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350 000 cases then, to 22 reported cases in 2017. As a result of the global effort to eradicate the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1673,"template":"","tags":[],"disease-category":[188],"class_list":["post-1477","disease","type-disease","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","disease-category-poliomyelitis-polio"],"yoast_head":"\nPoliomyelitis (Polio) – Africa CDC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/africacdc.org\/disease\/poliomyelitis-polio\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Poliomyelitis (Polio) – Africa CDC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. Polio mainly affects children under 5 years of age. 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