New Delhi, October 23 (IANS). World Polio Day is celebrated every year on 24 October. Its objective is to spread awareness about polio and save children. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. If timely treatment and vaccination is not done, this disease can put children in a serious condition like paralysis, due to which some parts of the body are not able to function properly.
Polio is a disease spread by a virus, which can be passed to other children through the feces, urine, or contaminated water and food of an infected person. Its initial symptoms are similar to common symptoms like normal fever, headache, vomiting, neck and back stiffness, so it can sometimes be difficult to identify polio. This is why it is very important to give polio vaccine to children on time.
Two types of vaccines are used to prevent polio. The first is activated polio vaccine, which is given to children after birth so that there is no risk of polio in future. The second is oral polio vaccine, which is given to children in many countries.
Even in India, polio vaccine is regularly given to small children till the age of 5 years. The aim of this effort is that children do not have to face serious diseases like polio when they grow up and their health remains safe.
India has taken several important steps to eradicate polio in the last 20 years. India was declared polio-free in 2014 due to widespread vaccination campaigns and government initiatives. However, the threat of polio has not been completely eliminated, so awareness and vaccination campaigns continue.
World Polio Day is not only a remembrance day, but also a warning and responsibility to parents, health workers and society. This reminds us that to protect children from polio, it is necessary to give timely vaccination, take care of cleanliness and spread public awareness.
–IANS
PIM/ABM
