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Ulm / mah
27/10/2018
The last polio epidemic occurred in Germany in 1961. Also in 1953 and 1954, thousands of people, especially children and adolescents, were infected with the highly infectious poliovirus. According to estimates of the Federal Polio Association currently live in Germany about 60,000 people who became ill at that time. However, the infection was not always so severe that the viruses attacked the nerve cells of the spinal cord, which led to the infamous paralysis that gave its name to the disease. About 95% of those infected had no recognizable symptoms, writes the Robert Koch Institute on its website, but have formed antibodies against the virus. Others had non-specific flu symptoms.
The United States was not immune to polio outbreaks. The American researcher Jonas Edward Salk succeeded in the 1950s to develop a vaccine against the virus. This was also used in mbad immunizations in Germany in the early 1960s. The motto may seem familiar to some: "The injection is mild, the polio is cruel." The number of infections has dropped rapidly. In recognition of Salk's achievements, World Polio Day is celebrated on October 28th, his birthday.
Still new cases
According to the Robert Koch Institute, two billion children worldwide have been vaccinated against polio since 1988, reducing their disease by 99%. However, if you are ready to vaccinate, there is a risk that diseases will appear even in areas currently considered polio-free. For example, polio cases were re-registered for the first time in Europe in 2010, considered polio-free since 1998. According to the Institute, polio epidemics are repeated in countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and South Africa. parts of Africa.
Although polio has since been so postponed, the introduction of poliovirus through migration and international travel to Germany can not be totally ruled out, says the Institute. Therefore, the vaccine is always important. And so long, until nowhere in the world, there is no more poliovirus noise.
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