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.

CDC Health Alert Network provides recommendations to manage the recent increase in severe respiratory illness among children

The US CDC’s HAN has provided certain recommendations to inform healthcare providers, infection control professionals, clinical laboratories, and public health departments about the recent increase in pediatric cases of severe respiratory illness in several regions of the USA.

14 Sep 2022

Study shows vaccine-derived poliovirus in infant with severe immunodeficiency

Researchers identified type 3 vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) in an infant.

13 Sep 2022

The impact of the infant gut microbiome on vaccine efficacy

A new study reports the effect of the infant gut microbiome on vaccine efficacy.

13 Sep 2022

Pakistan faces widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases amid unprecedented floods

Amid unprecedented floods which have affected 33 million people and damaged nearly 900 health facilities, Pakistan faces the risk of widespread outbreaks of diseases, including diarrhoea, dengue, malaria, polio and COVID-19.

9 Sep 2022

‘He stood his ground’: California state Senator will leave office as champion of tough vaccine laws

A California lawmaker who rose to national prominence by muscling through some of the country's strongest vaccination laws is leaving the state legislature later this year after a momentous tenure that made him a top target of the boisterous and burgeoning movement against vaccination mandates.

6 Sep 2022

The most recent evidence about phylogenesis, pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment for monkeypox

A new review sheds light on the origins of this virus and recently acquired knowledge about its disease mechanism and the preventive and therapeutic measures appropriate in this situation.

31 Aug 2022

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The future of public health, 2022 edition

It's been nearly a year since KHN's "What the Health?" podcast took a deep dive into public health, and much has changed.

25 Aug 2022

Updated guidelines on the Valneva SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

The WHO provides interim guidelines for the use of the Valneva vaccine.

23 Aug 2022

Exploring a paralytic poliomyelitis case in an unvaccinated person

Researchers investigated the public health response to a paralytic poliomyelitis case in an unvaccinated person.

19 Aug 2022

Poliovirus detected in New York City wastewater

Researchers in New York detected the presence of the poliovirus in wastewater samples.

14 Aug 2022

Big pharma went all in to kill drug pricing negotiations

For decades, the drug industry has yelled bloody murder each time Congress considered a regulatory measure that threatened its profits.

12 Aug 2022

Covid sewage surveillance labs join the hunt for monkeypox

The same wastewater surveillance techniques that have emerged as a critical tool in early detection of covid-19 outbreaks are being adapted for use in monitoring the startling spread of monkeypox across the San Francisco Bay Area and some other U.S. communities.

9 Aug 2022

What the polio case in New York tells us about the end of polio

No one studying polio knew more than Albert Sabin, the Polish-American scientist whose vaccine against the crippling disease has been used worldwide since 1959.

29 Jul 2022

India, Pakistan tackle backslide in child immunizations

India and other South Asian countries must deal with a dangerous backslide in routine infant vaccinations during 2019—2021 brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed to counter its spread, say UNICEF officials.

27 Jul 2022

Conservative blocs unleash litigation to curb public health powers

Through a wave of pandemic-related litigation, a trio of small but mighty conservative legal blocs has rolled back public health authority at the local, state, and federal levels, recasting America's future battles against infectious diseases.

18 Jul 2022

Using microparticles to create 'self-boosting' vaccines

Most vaccines, from measles to Covid-19, require a series of multiple shots before the recipient is considered fully vaccinated.

13 Jul 2022

DZNE and Intravacc receive € 2.5 million EU funding to develop a prototype ALS vaccine

DZNE and Intravacc B.V., a world leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) of preventive and therapeutic vaccines, have been awarded a funding of € 2.5 million from the European Union (EIC Transition Grant) to further develop a prototype ALS vaccine, including process development, scale-up, and toxicology study.

6 Jul 2022