Poliomyelitis: The Phantom Virus

The poliovirus is well known across the globe, especially in America. Many associate the virus with our former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), who was bound to a wheelchair due to his diagnosis of poliomyelitis. “Poliomyelitis is a debilitating muscle disorder, caused by the enterovirus known as the poliovirus” (Khan Academy, 2015). There are three serotypes of the virus that can cause paralysis; “poliovirus is a positive-strand single-stranded RNA virus” (Racaniello, 2005). This virus is transmitted through human to human contact, the contact consists of fecal to oral contact or oral to oral contact. The virus mostly affects infants and young children due to the reduced levels of sanitation with younger individuals. According to
The virus is known as the Phantom Virus, due to its lack of symptoms presentation. “ Ninety to Ninety-five percent of individuals that are infected will show no symptoms of the virus” (Khan Academy, 2015). Individuals can carry the virus up to ten days without presenting any symptoms, and other that do not show any at all can infect others for up to a total of 6 weeks after their initial infection. Individuals that do present symptoms; however, can go through three diagnostic tests: CSF spinal tap, collection of throat culture, and collection of a stool sample. Unfortunately, there is not treatment for the virus only symptomatic support. For individuals whose legs are affected, tend to use braces and crutches; others whose respiratory tract is affected would have to use a breathing tube like a ventilator, which in the past was an Iron Lung - which used pressure variation to help the individual breathe
When the virus was at it peak in the United States, it did it’s damage in the summer. It is simply thought that the virus overall replicates easier and quicker in hotter conditions. There was so much fear and concern for children mainly during the late 1930 to the 1960s. In about 1955 Dr. Jonas Salk introduced an intramuscular inactivated vaccine to the public. This vaccine triggered the humoral immunity, immunizing one single individual and triggering a response from the B cells. This allowed the immune system to recognize the virus before it enter the cells. This vaccine could be given in once dose or three, either way the vaccine was 90-95% effective. In 1961 Dr. Albert Sabin came along and introduced the oral polio vaccine, this vaccine was live and attenuated vaccine. It triggered the humoral and cell-mediated immunity. This vaccine unlike the Salk, triggered the T-cells which are able to recognize infected cells; they are able to signal and induce the chance for apoptosis. Sabin thought that the live, attenuated vaccine was more effective do to the transmission of immunity to other individuals that have not received the vaccine. The vaccine is a 3 dose vaccine and is 95% effective, this vaccine is still being used today in Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan due to the low cost effectiveness (Khan Academy, 2015; Guillot et al., 2000). The main disadvantage to administering the Sabin