EVERYDAY SCIENCE

SCIENCE

VIRUS AND BACTERIA

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
In the United States, the 1952 polio epidemic became the worst outbreak in the nation’s history. It spreads through contact with the stool of an infected person and droplets from a sneeze or cough. Vaccinations can help prevent polio infections. Is polio a virus or a bacteria?
A
Bacteria
B
Virus
C
Either A or B
D
None of the above
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Following introduction of effective vaccines in 1955 (inactivated polio vaccine, IPV) and 1961 (oral poliovirus vaccine, OPV), polio incidence declined rapidly. The last case of wild poliovirus acquired in the United States was in 1979.

Detailed explanation-2: -Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can infect a person’s spinal cord, causing paralysis (can’t move parts of the body).

Detailed explanation-3: -Polio mainly affects children. But anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated is at risk of getting the disease.

Detailed explanation-4: -About 25%–40% of people who suffered from para-lytic polio as children develop new symptoms in adulthood (usually after an interval of 30–40 years). This problem is called post-polio syndrome (PPS) and symptoms can include new muscle pain, weak-ness, or paralysis. PPS is not infectious.

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