Prevention. Children under the age of fifteen are being called upon to receive the OPV polio vaccines starting today throughout Madagascar. This vaccination campaign will last until May 17. Dr. Soa Kanto Domoina Rakotonoely yesterday stressed the importance of the polio vaccine. According to him, if a person refuses to be vaccinated, they have a very high risk of catching the disease and transmitting it to other people later. As long as a single individual remains infected, the risk of contracting polio persists. Thus, complete vaccination coverage helps prevent this serious and contagious disease.
The vaccination wave organized by the Malagasy state through the Ministry of Public Health is completely free. The vaccines will be administered orally to children under 15 years old. An awareness session led by the mobilizers has already taken place a few days before the start of the campaign.
Let us recall that poliomyelitis is a very serious disease that manifests itself in three phases: incubation, preparalytic invasion and paralytic phase. During the incubation phase, the infected person may present signs such as meningitis, fever, vomiting, stomach aches and diarrhea a few days after contracting the virus. During the preparalytic invasion phase, which lasts between 24 and 72 hours, the sick person may present a high fever of 39 to 40°C, diffuse muscle pain, back pain, loss of appetite, constipation and urinary retention. The third phase, the paralytic phase, is characterized by asymmetrical flaccid paralysis and muscle atrophy.
Polio progresses very quickly. “This disease is caused by a virus called poliovirus, classified in the picornavirus family and enterovirus genus. There are three types of poliovirus: type 1, type 2 and type 3. The virus is transmitted through human contact, including contaminated water, feces, saliva, etc.,” explained Dr. Soa Kanto Domoina Rakotonoely.
Thank you Ida
