The Ministry of Health of the Generalitat called this week to vaccinate unvaccinated children between 6 and 8 years old against polio, after detecting the virus at the Station of the Besòs wastewater treatment plant (Barcelona). And this disease, poliomyelitis, which has been eradicated in Spain, is necessary to prevent epidemics, by vaccinating the population, in this case children.
Polio is a disease that has caused significant epidemics in Spain during the first half of the 20th century. However, the country managed to eradicate polio through the introduction of mass vaccination. One of the last cases of indigenous poliomyelitis in Spain was recorded in 1989 and in 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the European Region polio-free.
In this way, the intention of the Ministry of Health of Catalonia is to send messages this week to families so that they go to health centers to vaccinate children in this age group in the Barcelona region .
The Secretary of Public Health of the Generalitat, Estève Fernández, said that for the past two years, a fourth dose has been added to “maintain immunity” at the age of six, and that parents are now recommended to vaccinate their children with this dose if they do not have it don’t have.
THE routine microbiological analyzes Wastewater showed the presence of poliovirus circulating in the Besòs wastewater treatment plant on Thursday, and local health authorities are investigating to see if there are more infected people.
The Barcelona Public Health Secretariat has activated the protocol for monitoring the circulation of poliovirus in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, with intensification of wastewater analysis and active case identification in health centers.
In addition, notifications were made to the Health Alert and Emergency Center (Ccaes), samples were sent to the National Center of Microbiology and the actions established in the Spanish Action Plan for the Eradication of Polio have been implemented.
Polio vaccination
Although polio has been eradicated in Spain and much of the world, vaccination remains necessary, especially after covid pandemic where viruses have proliferated exponentially. The following factors should also be taken into account: the importation of cases from certain regions of the world, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan or Gaza, since polio has not yet been eradicated. There is a risk that unvaccinated people will introduce the virus into Spain. It is for this reason that vaccination is maintained to prevent epidemics.
What is polio?
Poliomyelitiscommonly known as polio, is a highly contagious viral disease caused by the poliovirus. This virus invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis within a few hours. polio It mainly affects children under 5 years old.although it can also infect people of other ages.
Transmission
Poliovirus is transmitted from person to person, primarily through the fecal-oral route, that is, through contact with infected feces. It can also be transmitted by contaminated water or food or, more rarely, by drops of saliva
Symptoms
Most people infected with poliovirus have no visible symptoms. However, approximately 1% of cases may develop paralytic disease. Symptoms include:
Fever
Fatigue
Headache
Vomiting
Neck stiffness
Pain in the limbs
Complications
In the most serious cases, the virus can cause irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). In a portion of these cases, the respiratory muscles are affected, which can lead to death if respiratory assistance is not provided.
Prevention
Polio can be prevented through vaccination. There are two types of vaccines:
Oral polio vaccine (OPV): It contains an attenuated (weakened) form of the virus and is given by mouth. This vaccine induces local immunity in the intestine and also helps reduce transmission of the virus.
Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV): It contains the inactivated (killed) virus and is given by injection. It provides systemic immunity and is very effective in preventing disease.
