Patient's question:
I once met a person who had polio in 1996. Seeing her like that, I felt particularly uncomfortable. Then, she had difficulty getting out of bed and walking, etc. I want to ask why there are still people with polio from 1996?Doctor's answer:
Like poliomyelitis, this disease does not distinguish by age; it can occur in patients of all ages. In fact, this disease is caused by the poliovirus. The virus is mainly transmitted through contaminated food, industrial pollution, or droplet spread. The affected area is the motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord (lower motor neurons). Symptoms include fever for 3-4 days before collapse or recurrence after fever. It can manifest as spinal cord type, medulla oblongata type, encephalitis type, or mixed type. After 1-2 weeks, recovery begins, with muscle function returning or persistent anesthetic sequelae may develop.