There is, at this time, no evidence that the polio virus is circulating in Mexico, despite the fact that a few months ago a case was detected in New York (United States), as indicated by the Ministry of Health. Therefore, 32 years have passed without a person infected with this disease being registered in the country.
Parents are urged to vaccinate their children against polio
So far, no case has been reported in any Latin American nation. However, epidemiological surveillance is maintained and, currently, an intensive campaign is being carried out to apply the hexavalent vaccine to minors and thus recover the backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been pointed out by the person in charge of the office of the National Center for the Health of Children and Adolescents (Censia) of the Ministry of Health, José Luis Día Ortega.
For all these reasons, he called on parents to vaccinate their children with said biological, which not only protects against polio but also against other diseases. To this end, he stated that “the hexavalent vaccine is free in all clinics and health centers in the country’s public sector. In addition to preventing polio, it protects against whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, as well as pneumonia and meningitis caused by Haemophilius influenzae type B bacteria.
Poiomyelitis is an asymptomatic disease
World Polio Day is commemorated every October 24 and José Luis Díaz Ortega recalled that poliomyelitis is an asymptomatic disease caused by a virus that can cause flaccid paralysis, which is characterized by the immediate loss of muscle strength in the extremities and including death.
Polio most often affects children under two years of age and especially children under one year of age. This can be prevented with the hexavalent vaccine that is applied in Mexico.