Polio News and Research

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Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. Naturally occurring polio was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979 and in the Western Hemisphere by 1991; however, worldwide efforts are continuing towards eradication of this contagious and devastating disease.

Will the US overcome its covid complacency even as the threat returns?

A few months ago, it seemed as though the country was poised to finally tame the pandemic, after two years of restrictions and tens of billions in government spending.

15 Jun 2022

New evidence confirms that enterovirus D68 causes acute flaccid myelitis

A case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides evidence that enterovirus D68 directly infects spinal cord neurons and that a corresponding robust immune response is present – a direct causation to the polio-like paralyzing illness, acute flaccid myelitis (AFM).

26 May 2022

The enigma of post-acute infection syndromes

In a recent review published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers summarized known literature findings of the unexplained post-acute infection syndromes (PAISs).

20 May 2022

First oral antiviral approved for early treatment of COVID-19

The United States Food and Drug Administration granted an Emergency Use Authorization in December 2021 for the first oral antiviral, a pill containing two protease inhibitors – nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (Paxlovid, Pfizer) – for early treatment of COVID-19.

11 May 2022

Study offers insight into how remote learning impacts motivation of school students

Over 40% of parents of primary school students and 38% of parents of secondary school students felt their child found remote learning 'difficult' or 'very difficult', according to new data from the Schools Infection Survey (SIS).

3 May 2022

World Immunization Week 2022: Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance on the equitable and sustainable use of vaccines

As part of World Immunization Week 2022, News Medical speaks to Thabani Maphosa, the Managing Director of Country Programmes at Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, about their work to increase equitable and sustainable use of vaccines by maximizing financial investments, bringing the best partners to the table and driving innovation.

27 Apr 2022

Eradicating Polio; What's it going to take?

In this interview, we speak to Judith Diment from Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee about the incredible work they are doing to help eradicate polio worldwide.

26 Apr 2022

Hybrid alphavirus-SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus system rapidly measures neutralizing antibodies

Do a person's antibodies work to block the COVID-19 virus from infecting one's system? Are these antibodies also capable of blocking emerging variants such as the omicrons?

21 Apr 2022

Anti-vaccine ideology gains ground as lawmakers seek to erode rules for kids’ shots

Not long ago, Kansas showed strong bipartisan support for vaccines as a tool to support a robust public health system.

21 Apr 2022

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on vaccination campaigns for diseases preventable by vaccine

Researchers assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccine-preventable disease initiatives.

18 Apr 2022

Risk of myopericarditis following COVID-19 vaccination is very low, confirms study

The overall risk of myopericarditis following COVID-19 vaccination is very low, affecting 18 people per million vaccine doses. A new study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, confirms that this risk is comparable to or lower following COVID-19 vaccination than other non-COVID-19 vaccines.

13 Apr 2022

Colorado moves toward statewide coverage of wastewater surveillance

On a Sunday morning in March 2020, right at the start of the pandemic, an article in Popular Mechanics caught engineer Pieter Van Ry's eye. It had a catchy title: "How Poop Offers Hints About the Spread of Coronavirus."

12 Apr 2022

Polio vaccination campaign kicks off in Malawi and neighboring countries

A vaccination campaign targeting 23 million children has kicked off in Malawi and neighboring countries to contain an outbreak of wild polio declared last month, the World Health Organization says.

24 Mar 2022

Study links the usage of oral polio vaccines with lower incidence of COVID-19

A study published in the journal PLOS ONE showed how countries using oral polio vaccine have a lower incidence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) when compared to those using inactivated polio vaccine – suggesting that the oral vaccine may either prevent the infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at the individual level or slow down the transmission in the community.

21 Mar 2022

Texas Biomed and UAB partnership uncovers a new, potent antibody cocktail against all coronaviruses

As SARS-CoV-2 has continued to evolve and outsmart existing treatments, scientists have not let up looking for ever-more effective tools to keep people safe and successfully recover from COVID-19, and to prepare for future outbreaks.

18 Mar 2022

Malaria drug could help treat chemotherapy-resistant head and neck cancers

A new study suggests that the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine inhibits pathways that drive resistance to the chemotherapy agent cisplatin in head and neck cancers and restores tumor-killing effects of cisplatin in animal models.

14 Mar 2022

Canadian scientist discusses about how society could better prepare for future pandemics

Aled Edwards is of two minds about medicine's response to COVID-19. On one hand, he notes, we had life-saving vaccines and therapies less than a year after the discovery of SARS-CoV-2. On the other, more than six million, and possibly as many as 18 million people have died, and global access to advances that can prevent and treat severe disease remains highly inequitable.

11 Mar 2022

Implementing wastewater-based Covid-19 early warning system in Germany

Coronaviruses can be detected in wastewater some days before first disease symptoms develop. On this basis, it is possible to determine the number of infections more quickly, analyze the infection situation more precisely, and identify new Covid-19 variants and their spread at an earlier stage.

4 Mar 2022

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A health-heavy State of the Union

Russia's attacks on Ukraine took the headlines for President Joe Biden's first official State of the Union address, but Biden made a point to highlight several of the administration's high-priority health issues, including covid, mental health, nursing home regulation, and ailments among military personnel from toxic burn pits.

3 Mar 2022

As covid slogs on, seniors find fortitude waning and malaise growing

Late one night in January, Jonathan Coffino, 78, turned to his wife as they sat in bed. "I don't know how much longer I can do this," he said, glumly.

18 Feb 2022