Plus Polio Treatment
Introduction
Plus polio is a disease that is caused by the polio-virus infection. The polio-virus infection is spread through direct person to person contact, contact with infected mucus or phlegm from nose and mouth and contact with infected feces. The virus enters through the mouth and nose, it multiplies in the throat and intestinal tract and is later absorbed and spread through the blood and lymph system. The incubation period for this virus ranges from 5-35 days on average. The people are at risk are those who are not vaccinated and those traveling or living in an outbreak area. In case of an outbreak the people at most risk are children, pregnant women and the elderly.
Symptoms of plus polio
There are three basic stages of plus polio infection. The sub-clinical infection stage, non-paralytic stage and the paralytic stage. Here are the symptoms of each stage of plus polio infection.
Sub-clinical infection symptoms
General body discomfort
Headache
Red throat
Fever
Sore-throat
Vomiting
During this plus polio stage, the symptoms may last for 72 hour or less.
Non paralytic stage
Backache
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Headache
Leg pain
Irritability
Muscle stiffness
Fever
Vomiting
Stiffness and pain of the back, abdomen, legs and arms
Pain of front part of the neck
Painful skin rash
In this stage, symptoms last for about 1-2 weeks.
Paralytic stage
Fever that lasts for 5-7 days before other symptoms occur
Breathing difficulty
Constipation
Bloated feeling in abdomen
Headache
Drooling
Difficulty to urinate
Irritability and poor temper control
Muscle pain
Muscle contractions in the neck, back and calf
Stiffening of back and neck
Swallowing difficulty
Pain when touched mildly
Muscle weakness on one side depending on where the spinal cord is affected and may worsen to paralysis.
Plus Polio Treatment
There is no definite cure for polio plus but the following are the main polio plus control treatment options available.
Antibiotics
A patient suffering from plus polio is given antibiotics that are meant to fight other secondary infections that may occur. Therefore, a plus polio patient should be free with the doctor and inform the doctor of any new symptoms that may occur. Treating secondary infections on time can avoid further complications. The antibiotics should be taken as prescribed by the doctor as stopping the antibiotic intake or failure to follow instructions may result to worsening of the infection.
Pain relievers
Plus polio causes back, neck, muscle, arm and leg pain. The doctor will prescribe pain relievers that are meant to relieve pain caused by plus polio. The best and mostly used polio plus pain reliever is analgesics that should be taken according to the doctors directions to ensure that the patient is comfortable during the polio plus infection period.
Rest
A patient with polio plus should focus on resting until the polio plus infection improves. Once improvement is noted, the patent should do some exercise to prevent deformity and loss of muscle functions. In addition to rest, eating a balanced diet is very essential to help the body fight the virus.
Prevention for Polio Plus
- Polio vaccine is the best and most effective way to prevent attack of polio virus. Polio vaccine is administered to children under 6 years. It is administered at 2 months, 4 months, between 6 to 18 months and a final booster before attaining 6 years of age.
- Avoiding high risk areas and contact with an infected person.
