diseases like polio are rare so why are vaccines needed.
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Answer:
some people question whether vaccination is really necessary given the currently low rates of illness. Polio, for example, was eliminated from the Americas in 1994; why, then, should American children be given a poliovirus vaccine? Similarly, measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000; so why vaccinate against measles?
The answer is fairly simple: thanks to widespread vaccination and surveillance campaigns, polio and measles are now “rare” diseases in the United States—but they are still circulating in other regions. Widespread vaccination generally protects us from outbreaks even when an infected traveler enters the country, but if we stopped vaccinations, one imported case of measles (to choose an example) could spread through the unprotected population like wildfire.
Something to know about viruses is that unlike bacteria, which is immortal, viruses have an ability to manipulate itself into severe forms.
Polio has not yet been completely eradicated.
Polio affects the spinal cord causing muscle weakness and paralysis.
- Studies show that Polio cases have been decreased to 99%.
- In some parts of Asia and Africa, polio still exists.
Polio can be transmitted through contaminated food and water.
People carrying the poliovirus can spread the virus for weeks in their feces.
- The best way to prevent polio is by vaccination.
The only way to prevent the spread of polio is by preventing infection by immunizing every child until transmission stops.
According to the latest findings, polio has been considered as an endemic disease in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
- It's true that polio has been almost eradicated, but there are parts of the world, where the disease still prevails due to poor infrastructure, lack of awareness, unhygienic routines, poverty, etc.