Poliomyelitis, 'Children's menace'

You've probably been hearing (and seeing) a lot about the polio virus. Though a lot of kids get vaccinated, there are usually sad cases around.

India is the latest country to have officially stopped transmission of polio —with its last reported case in 2011.

Only 3 countries remain where the disease is endemic—Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria . The number of wild polio cases reported in 2015 was less than a third of the previous lowest year, 2012.

Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis , is an infectious disease caused by the polio virus, and it can affect children below six years old.

In about 0.5% of cases there is muscle weakness resulting in an inability to move. This can occur over a few hours to few days. The weakness most often involves the legs but may less commonly involve the muscles of the head, neck and diaphragm .

Many but not all people fully recover. In those with muscle weakness about 2% to 5% of children and 15% to 30% of adults die.

Another 25% of people have minor symptoms such as fever and a sore throat and up to 5% have headache, neck stiffness and pains in the arms and legs. These people are usually back to normal within one or two weeks.

In up to 70% of infections there are no symptoms, and years after recovery, post- polio syndrome may occur, with a slow development of muscle weakness similar to that which the person had during the initial infection.

Polio virus is usually spread from person to person through infected fecal matter entering the mouth. (You can contact the virus, if you eat food perched on by a fly which previously perched on contaminated fecal matter)

It may also be spread by food or water containing human feces and less commonly from infected saliva.

This is why we need to atop the habit of throwing poo bags on road sides, and beside fences or in gutters and drainages.

Those who are infected may spread the disease for up to six weeks even if no symptoms are present.

The disease may be diagnosed by finding the virus in the feces or detecting antibodies against it in the blood. The disease only occurs naturally in humans.

Polio is preventable with the polio vaccine; however, a number of doses are required for it to be effective.

Individuals after being exposed to the virus, either through infection or by immunization with polio vaccine, develop immunity.

In immune individuals, antibodies against polio virus are present in the tonsils and gastrointestinal tract, and are able to block virus replication.

These antibodies against PV also prevent the spread of the virus to motor neurons of the central nervous system.

The major priority now in Nigeria is to rapidly immunize all children around the recently affected area, to ensure that no other child succumbs to this terrible disease.”

The Director of polio eradication at WHO Headquarters, Dr. Michel Zaffran, was optimistic when he said earlier in August,

“We are confident that with a swift response and strong collaboration with the Nigerian Government, we can soon rid the country of polio once and for all. This is an important reminder that the world cannot afford to be complacent as we are on the brink of polio eradication – we will only be done when the entire world has been certified polio-free."

According to WHO, genetic sequencing of the viruses suggests that the new cases are most closely linked to a wild polio virus strain last detected in Borno in 2011.

Low-level transmission of the polio virus is not unexpected, particularly in areas where it is difficult to reach children with the vaccine.

As recently as 2012, Nigeria accounted for more than half of all polio cases worldwide, but the country has made significant strides, recently marking two years without a case on 24 July 2016.

This progress has been the result of a concerted effort by all levels of government, civil society, religious leaders and tens of thousands of dedicated health workers.

Steps including increased community involvement and the establishment of Emergency Operations Centers at the national and state level have been pivotal to Nigeria’s capacity to respond to outbreaks.

We need to appreciate all efforts geared towards this noble cause, and if you are polio free, be thankful, and help spread the awareness.

A Mistake That Shortens Life Expectancy

I had a friend, back in my university first year, and he was a nice guy. He wasn't academically sound, but wasn't bad either. He had a major problem that started then. He was addicted to Tobacco smoking. Last time I checked, he still is.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, sent a tweet recently, summarising a recent study, stating that an average of 6million people die from tobacco consumption annually.

While 5 million die from direct consumption, another 600,000 non-smokers die from being open to second-hand smoke. Global death rate from tobacco consumption might be up to 8 million in 2030 if urgent steps are not taken.

It's not surprising, that 80 percent of the more than one billion smokers worldwide live in low and middle- income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest.

At least one person dies every 6 seconds, meaning one in 10 adults die due to tobacco related diseases.

There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, of which at least 250 are known to be destructive and more than 50 others are identified to cause cancer. What baffles me is the number of addicted smokers, despite these facts.

Second hand smoking is another major issue we seem to be ignorant of. You don't have to smoke tobacco to fall sick. Inhaling the fumes can cause illness. I see shops around, where sales girls sit around smokers.

When parents smoke, their children cough. Babies are most at risk, with the highest percentages for bronchitis and lung ailments in infants under a year old. Why endanger a child's life like that? While, second-hand smoke is said to be the major cause of cardiovascular, respiratory and coronary heart diseases as well as lung cancer in adults, and in infanxts, it causes sudden death in others.

Some groups of students in school smoke in groups. We heard the story of one of such students. Apparently, He was walking and all of a sudden he slumped. Thanks to some kind hearted students who rushed him to the hospital. Unfortunately, he died soon after. Investigations revealed that the victim who was about 21 years old and just about to start youth service, never showed any sign of illness before his death. It was also gathered that young promising graduate was asthmatic. An autopsy carried out by authorities of the hospital to determine the cause of his death revealed that he died of a heart- related disease following his addiction to tobacco smoking. He's just one of the 6 million people killed by tobacco use earlier mentioned and one in 10 adult deaths worldwide.

This menace of Youth tobacco purchase, utilization and addition, is a really pressing issue.

Today, Nigeria has become one of the largest zones in Africa. Statistics show that youths form over 40 percent of the Nigerian population and 18 per cent of the youths smoke. This means that our children start smoking from secondary school level. Unless drastic steps are taken, many youths may become addicted. Parents need to be on guard. Don't leave it for teachers and guidance councillors alone.

Some measures for Tobacco Control such as Complete ban of advertisement, High taxes on cigarettes to discourage more people going into the business, Protection of non-smokers from the often underestimated harmful effects of second-hand smoking, Expansion of smoke-free public places, discouraging the growing of tobacco plants, Assistance to pro-tobacco victims to ameliorate the resultant harmful effects of smoking, Provision of adequate support to states instituting litigations for damages, and a lot of other measures not mentioned here are being put in place, and that's a good thing.

Although, cigarette packets carry warnings approved by health authorities, none lists the diseases caused by smoking, and I think its just silly. Hence, the introduction of photo warnings was a desperate action by concerned governments over a deadly habit that refused to abate despite numerous interventions.

Critical observers are calling for the inclusion of large graphic warnings, which will definitely motivate people to stop using tobacco and reduce the appeal for people not yet addicted to it, but that's shooting a brand image in the head.

Smoking most commonly leads to diseases affecting the heart and lungs and will most commonly affect areas such as hands or feet with first signs of smoking related health issues showing up as numbness, with smoking being a major risk factor for heart attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema , and cancer , particularly lung cancer , cancers of the larynx and mouth , and pancreatic cancer.

Overall life expectancy is also reduced in long term smokers, with estimates ranging from 10 to 17 years fewer than nonsmokers. About one half of long term male smokers will die of illness due to smoking.

Among male smokers, the lifetime risk of developing lung cancer is 17.2%; among female smokers, the risk is 11.6%. This risk is significantly lower in nonsmokers: 1.3% in men and 1.4% in women.

Historically, lung cancer was considered to be a rare disease prior to World War I and was perceived as something most physicians would never see during their career, but With the postwar rise in popularity of cigarette smoking came a virtual epidemic of lung cancer. God knows how many young Nigerians are walking dead, carrying this disease.

A person's increased risk of contracting disease is directly proportional to the length of time that a person continues to smoke as well as the amount smoked However, if someone stops smoking, then these chances gradually decrease as the damage to their body is repaired.

A year after quitting, the risk of contracting heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker.

The health risks of smoking are not uniform across all smokers, but just because a fellow smoker has not died doesn't mean you won't die soon, if you continue to smoke.

Smoking so- called "light" cigarettes does not reduce the risk. Each cigarette that is smoked is estimated to shorten life by an average of 11 minutes. It's alarming to think of the number of cigarette sticks people smoke daily.

Please, Enough is Enough. Say No to Smoking.