Poliomyelitis or polio is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of five years. Most know it as poliovirus.The virus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and our partners use to immunize over 2.5 billion children worldwide. The Types of virus designated as 1, 2 and 3, may cause polio. Currently only type 1 appears to be circulating. Type 2 was last reported in 1999 and type 3 was last reported in 2012. Humans are the only reservoir of poliovirus.The virus is transmitted person-to-person through fecal-oral and oral-oral routes, or less frequently by water and milk. It multiplies in the intestine and spreads to the central nervous system, causing paralysis.
Although the importance of a coordinated international response is recognized, there are challenges to stopping the spread of polio and achieving a polio-free world. One important issue is how to direct the limited resources within the polio endemic countries.