Poliomyelitis, fear of the past resurfaces. The expert: "We must not let our guard down"

We thought it was practically eradicated but the alarms of the last few days bring to mind the fears of the past: polio.

First the health authorities of

who, on 17 February last, ascertained the case of a 3-year-old girl infected with poliovirus and remained paralyzed.

Then the

began in 2021 and is still ongoing in the country.

in fact

in the escalation of the crisis".

And finally this morning

, the first since 1989.

On 24 October 2019, WHO declared that type 3 poliovirus had been eradicated, 4 years earlier a type 2 poliovirus certification had been issued. At present, type 1 poliovirus polio remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan. where it represents a health emergency.

To understand what is happening we consulted

, molecular biologist, scientific supervisor at the Umberto Veronesi Foundation and author of the book

.

"We must not panic

, at the moment we are dealing with a few confirmed cases and all possible actions have been taken, in Malawi as in Israel, to increase vaccination prophylaxis and enhance epidemiological monitoring", emphasizes the researcher.

However, these infections "represent

that

, which remind us that it is necessary to be very careful in order to

". 

What is particularly worrying is the situation in Ukraine

in which

, "the guard must not be let down on polio, the disease could have a resurgence if we do not keep up with vaccination coverage" warns Agnese Collino .    

What is poliomyelitis

Polio is a

affecting the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor neurons of the spinal cord.

First described by Michael Underwood, a British physician, in 1789, polio was first recorded as an epidemic in early 19th century Europe and shortly thereafter in the United States.

The spread of polio peaked in the United States in 1952 with nearly 58,000 cases recorded.

In Italy, in 1958, over 8 thousand cases were notified.

or, less frequently, by a common vehicle of spread such as water or contaminated food.

, belonging to the enterovirus genus, which in some cases can invade the nervous system, destroying the affected neural cells within a few hours and causing paralysis that can become, in severe cases, total.

Currently, wild poliovirus is endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan: its detection outside these two countries "demonstrates the continuing risk of the disease spreading internationally until every corner of the world is free from Wpv1", writes the WHO.

Subjects at risk and risk factors

Polio mainly affects children under five years of age.

The reasons that lead an individual to develop the most severe form of polio are unclear, but the WHO risk factors include: immunodeficiency, pregnancy, removal of the tonsils, intramuscular injections, vigorous and / or exaggerated exercise, injuries or injuries.

Symptoms and treatment

In the vast majority of cases, polio is completely

or gives symptoms typical of a

.

Only in one case out of 100-200 does it lead to

, which can be temporary or permanent, and can affect a part (a leg) or the whole body.

5-10% of patients who experience paralysis die.

Therapy

There is no cure for polio

, other than symptomatic treatments that can only partially minimize the effects of the disease.

.

There are two different types of vaccines: the "inactivated" Salk (IPV), to be administered by intramuscular injection, and the "live attenuated" Sabin (OPV), to be administered orally.

Sabin's vaccine, administered in Italy until recent years, has made it possible to eradicate polio in Europe and is recommended by the World Health Organization in its campaign to eradicate the disease worldwide.

WHO's goal is in fact to completely eliminate the presence of the disease, following the success achieved with smallpox in 1980. In Italy, by decision of the State Regions Conference in 2002, after the complete eradication of polio in Europe, the The only form of vaccine administered is the inactivated one.