Most doctors will not be familiar with the clinical picture of this disease.
Public health authorities have warned healthcare workers to be on the lookout for polio, but most doctors would not be familiar with the presentation of this highly contagious and potentially deadly disease. An article on CMAJ (Journal of the Canadian Medical Association)
1.Oral polio vaccine is used internationally, but not in Canada since 1996
The poliovirus used in the oral polio vaccine is excreted in the feces for weeks and can be contagious. When circulating among an under-immunized population, it can mutate back to a form that causes paralysis in under-immunized or immunocompromised individuals. Communities with low vaccination coverage are at risk of experiencing outbreaks. An inactivated polio vaccine is used in Canada and cannot cause the disease.
2. Poliovirus may be circulating in Canada
Vaccine-derived polio is detected in 2022 in the United States and United Kingdom in wastewater.
3. People who receive less than 4 doses of vaccine are at risk of infection
The polio virus is highly contagious, spreading by other routes faeces-oral and people can spread the virus without symptoms for weeks. The incubation period is 3-6 days, with the onset of paralysis in 7-21 days. Children under the age of 5 are at the highest risk.
“Internet trailblazer. Troublemaker. Passionate alcohol lover. Beer advocate. Zombie ninja.”
