Polio is a very contagious disease that is caused by the poliovirus. In most of the victims, the disease affects the nerve cells, especially those of the spinal cord. As a result, the muscles that control voluntary movement are affected usually resulting in paralysis. Another name for polio is poliomyelitis. Polio spreads via direct contact with the poliovirus. This occurs mainly through particles issuing from the throat or feces of an infected person. The infection is common among various developing countries and is high in countries like India, Nigeria, and some tropical developing like Kenya. This infection has raised alarm among medical practitioners. Therefore, various prevention and control principles have been advanced. These prevention and control principles are as discussed below.
Immunization has been identified as the main preventive principle. This is usually done at the infancy stage and two types of polio vaccines exist. In order to prevent and control the spread of this infection, infants and children should be immunized early enough. This can be achieved through injection or mouth depending on the kind of vaccine. The live attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV) is usually given by mouth while the Salk inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) is usually given through injection (Wolfe, Lehman, Quinlin, Zullo & Hoffman, 2008). If an adult does not get a polio vaccine during childhood, it is recommended that they get vaccinated before visiting places where infections are possible. Health workers, who are not vaccinated, should also receive the vaccine before attending to infected persons. Parents and guardians should therefore ensure that their children are immunized against polio to prevent infection and therefore control its spread (Walent, & Kayser-Jones, 2008).
Kenya has reported various cases of polio. The government and other non-governmental organizations have taken the initiative in enhancing the prevention of this infection through various campaigns, the most common being “kick polio out of Kenya”. This enhanced the creation of awareness concerning the infection thus increasing the rate of immunization within the country. To further enhance the prevention and control of the infection, the polio vaccination is offered freely in the country. The virus re-entered the country after 22 years through a Somali refugee. Since its re-entry, the spread is highly associated with Somali refugees, especially in the refugee camp in Garissa. In an effort to prevent its spread, around three million children were immunized in the horn of Africa in 2006 (McIe, Petitte, Pride, Leeper & Ostrow, 2009).
Another most important preventive and control principle is proper sanitation and hygiene. The spread of the poliovirus is greatly associated with poor hygiene and sanitation. Therefore, families are highly recommended to uphold high standards of hygiene and sanitation. The existence of infection in the various refugee camps in Kenya is highly associated with poor hygiene. These camps have no proper toilets and children relieve themselves in open places thus increasing the chances of others coming in contact with their feces. The use of clean toilets and latrines should thus be encouraged in these camps and also in other high-risk areas (Osterman, Asselin & Cullen, 2009).
The creation of awareness among the illiterate population is also another important preventive principle. This population has been found to stigmatize those infected with the virus. They should therefore be enlightened on how to prevent and control the spread through proper sanitation and undergoing immunization (Hudson, Portillo & Lee, 2008). Kenya has been found to be ahead in the creation of awareness concerning polio through advertisements on the media and posters on every clinic. This has helped in understanding the cause, prevention and c,ontrol of the infection.
References
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McIe S, Petitte T, Pride L, Leeper D, & Ostrow, C 2009. Transparent film dressing vs. pressure dressing after percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography. American Journal of Critical Care, 18(1), 14–20.
Osterman P L, Asselin M R, & Cullen H A 2009. Returning for a baccalaureate: A descriptive, exploratory study of nurses’ perceptions. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 25(3), 109–117.
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Wolfe D M, Lehman L, Quinlin R, Zullo T, & Hoffman, L 2008. Effect of patient-centered care on patient satisfaction and quality of care. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 23(4), 316–321.