Mutating polio is now a reality it seems. Previously, polio was a medically manageable disease that could be easily countered by the polio vaccine. More often than not it was considered a rare disease in the Western and European world. That may have all changed though since a man in the U.K. was found to have come into contact with a mutating strain of polio, which means it has been difficult to eradicate.
WHAT IS POLIO
Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease that usually affects young children, according to the World Health Organization. Usually it is spread through human contact or through other means as well such as contaminated water and food. It basically multiplies in the intestines and can descend upon the nervous system, causing a potential case of paralysis. Fever, headache, vomiting, limb pain, and a host of other symptoms await the victim who is unfortunate enough to get it and continues to be a problem for third-world countries.
WHAT MUTATING POLIO MEANS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
The man in the U.K. who has mutating polio has already been vaccinated and poses no threat to those who have already received the polio vaccination, but he could cause an epidemic for those who have not been exposed to the vaccine. Vaccines use part of the disease as the cure. What this means for the environment is that mutating polio, which can be spread by the ecosystem, primarily water, serves as a risk now. This now brings polio to not only a health issue, but an environmental one as well. Treatment will be complicated in future epidemics if the mutating virus ends up getting into the ecosystem, making it harder to combat. When a virus gets into an ecosystem and spreads to humans, it becomes harder to fight. For a long time humans have considered the ecosystem a resource, but in terms of disease it can also be a double-edged sword.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR CERTAIN NATIONS
Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria have been known to be at risk and have the disease spread via contaminated water and faecal contamination. Many people in these countries may know a water source is contaminated but still choose to drink because that particular ecosystem is the onlyavailable one providing water. This mutating strain could have dire implications for these countries and their neighbors as well.
