polio

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Latest health and travel advice for Hajj and Umrah – well worth a read. And please share with all those making the pilgrimage.

Hajj and Umrah

Hajj and Umrah

Public Health England have just released their health advice for anyone making the Pilgrimage to Mecca this year. For non-Muslims the Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is estimated to fall during early October 2014. Umrah is a shorter, non-compulsory pilgrimage for Muslims that can be performed at any time.

I’m sharing it here because well this is the kind of useful info some of my readers will need. Go here for any updates since this blog was posted.

“In response to international outbreaks of disease, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Ministry of Health has recommended the following groups should postpone the performance of the Hajj and Umrah as a precautionary measure this year, for their own safety: elderly people, those with chronic diseases (heart disease, kidney disease, respiratory disease, nervous system disorders and diabetes), immunodeficient patients (congenital and acquired), pregnant women and children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) does not currently advise any travel restrictions to KSA in relation to the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and overall the risk of UK residents travelling to the Middle East contracting the virus remains low. However, cases reported from KSA continue to increase, to 846 by September 2014, and there have now been 298 deaths, occurring mainly among residents.

Professor Nick Phin, head of respiratory diseases at PHE said: “With growing evidence indicating the role of camels in transmitting MERS-CoV to humans, we’re advising all travellers to the Middle East, particularly those with underlying or chronic medical conditions, to avoid contact with camels and camel products, and to practise good hand and respiratory hygiene to reduce the risk of respiratory illnesses.

MERS-CoV is a new type of coronavirus first identified in a Middle Eastern citizen in 2012. Although cases continue to be reported from the Middle East, no new cases of MERS have been detected in the UK since the cases linked to the Middle East in February 2013.

“Pilgrims returning from Hajj and Umrah with flu-like symptoms including fever and cough, or shortness of breath within 14 days of being in the Middle East, should contact their GP without delay and inform them of their travel.”

Pilgrims should also be aware this year that due to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, visas will not be issued to individuals who have travelled or lived in Ebola affected countries within the three weeks before their applications. All visitors to the KSA will be required to complete an Ebola screening card before being allowed to enter the country.

In addition, the declaration by WHO of polio as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern has also led to additional vaccination requirements for arrivals in KSA from particular countries.

Dr Dipti Patel, joint director of NaTHNaC, said: “Our updated health information sheet for pilgrims includes information on health regulations, vaccine requirements, recommendations and general health advice for those planning to travel for the Hajj and Umrah. Pilgrims are strongly advised to follow our specific guidance about staying safe and healthy when travelling.”

Dr Brian McCloskey, director of global health at PHE, said: “The Hajj is the largest annual international gathering, with more than two million Muslims travelling from around the world, including thousands from the UK. A large population in one confined area has historically increased the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, which is why it is important to get the relevant vaccinations and to get travel advice from your GP or travel health clinic.”

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Post-Polio Syndrome. An illness of the past which still haunts us.

post polio syndrome

post polio syndrome

We should never underestimate the impact of the life sciences (like medicine) on the life of our planet and species over the last couple of centuries.  Indeed some sources suggest that human life expectancy across the globe rose on average 35 years per person in the twentieth century.

As many readers know I consider Jonas Salk, the person who discovered the polio vaccine and refused to patent it, to be one of the very great figures of the last century.  Sadly while politicians seem to get their statues all over the place his vital work goes almost unrecognised.

The scourge of polio (and that is not a cliché) is well on the way to being eradicated across the globe.  Here I feel I must pay tribute to the work of Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign.  I’d strongly recommend their web site http://www.endpolio.org/ if you have not already visited it. In the UK in the present century nobody has contracted polio to the best of my knowledge.

However what I was unaware of until recently was the concept of post-polio syndrome.  And I was

Dr Jonas Salk

Dr Jonas Salk

reminded of it when I re-read a recent interview with Julia Roberts from our blog where she talked about her then recent diagnosis with cancer but also about being a polio survivor.  You can read the interview here https://patienttalk.org/?p=131.  In it she mentions post-polio syndrome and its impact on her life.

So I thought it would be useful to investigate further.  Because while the disease has disappeared in all but a few countries, its effects are still very much with us.

In fact it has been suggested that there may be around half a million people in the USA alone who suffer from post-polio syndrome.  So what actually is it?

Around 75% of people who have had polio will go on to suffer from post-polio syndrome (PPS). PPS seems to occur between 10-30 years after the initial polio attack.  The symptoms include:-

a) Fatigue – both physical and mental.

b)Muscle and joint pain.

c)  Atrophy (weakness) of the muscles.  This in turn can lead to difficulties in movement especially walking.

d)Sleep apnea.

e) Sensitivity to cold.

While this illness is not fatal it can obviously affect a person’s ability to lead a full life.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite people who have PPS to share their story with our readers.  This we hope will raise awareness of the condition.  Please feel free to use the comments box below to share your PPS journey.

It would be great if you would consider the following questions as part of your contribution:-

a) How old were you when you first contracted polio?  How long ago was this?

b)When did you start to suffer from PPS?

c)  What were you primary symptoms?  How were they treated?

d)Overall what effect did PPS have on your lifestyle?

Please not that this is only a guide.  Feel free to contribute anything you think may be of interest.

Many thanks in advance.

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Parents want to see Meningitis Eradicated Over any other Vaccine Preventable Disease

Listen to our podcast with Dr Carol Cooper where she discusses parents health fears with meningitis  

 

 

Dr Carol Cooper

Dr Carol Cooper

A new survey has revealed that three quarters of parents would like to see meningitis eradicated above all other vaccine preventable diseases, including measles, mumps and whooping cough[i].

Meningitis remains the most feared infectious disease amongst parents as it strikes so quickly and can kill within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms, even despite swift treatment[ii]. It is also extremely tough to detect as the early symptoms of meningitis can resemble the flu, making it difficult to differentiate from other less serious childhood infections. One in ten of those infected will die and a further 20% of survivors will be left with after effects including long term disabilities such as brain damage, amputations and hearing loss2,[iii].

 

Great progress has been made through the introduction of vaccines for some causes of meningitis, such as the Meningooccal Group C (MenC) vaccine which was introduced in 1999 and has prevented over 9,000 serious cases and 1,000 deaths[iv]. Thirteen years on from the vaccines introduction there have been less than 30 cases of MenC annually for the last five years, showing that this type of the disease has been virtually eradicated in the UK[v]. An ongoing threat remains however, from the Meningococcal Group B (MenB) strain which accounts for over half of all meningitis cases in the UK and cannot be prevented by vaccines currently available on the National Immunisation Programme[vi].

 

Vaccination programmes have had an extremely positive impact on public health, saving millions of lives and ensuring that life threatening diseases such as polio are now no longer seen in the UK[vii],[viii]. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the last reported UK death from smallpox, a disease which used to affect over 50 million people globally each year[ix] and that has now been consigned to the history books thanks to wide scale vaccination.

 

As children get set to head back to school parents should remember that while many infections are minor and easily treatable, the threat of more serious and life threatening conditions such as meningitis remains and parents should remain vigilant.


[i] Novartis data on file. Opinion Matters consumer survey conducted August 2013

[ii] World Health Organisation. Meningococcal meningitis factsheet. Nov 2012. Available at: www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs141/en/. Accessed Aug 2013.

[iii] Rosenstein NE, et al. Meningococcal disease. N Engl J Med 2001;344:1378-88

[iv] Health Protection Agency. Vaccination for Meningococcal disease. Available at: http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1296682977081. Accessed Aug 2013.

[v] Health Protection Agency. Table 8: Invasive meningococcal C infections laboratory reports, England and Wales by age group & epidemiological year, 1998/99-2011/12 Available at: http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1317136089480. Accessed Aug 2013.

[vi] Meningitis Research Foundation. UK Facts and Figures (webpage). Available at: www.meningitis.org/facts Accessed Aug 2013.

[vii] NHS Immunisation Information factsheet 2004. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/planners/vaccinations/documents/factsheet%20diptheria%20tetanus%20pertussis%20polio%20hib%5B1%5D.pdf Accessed August 2013

[viii] British Polio. Polio and vaccination webpage. Available at: http://www.britishpolio.org.uk/polio-and-post-polio-syndrome/polio-and-vaccination.html Accessed August 2013

[ix] World Health Organisation. Smallpox factsheet 2001. Available at: http://www2a.cdc.gov/nip/isd/spoxclincian/contents/references/factsheet.pdf Accessed Aug 2013

Dr Carol Cooper is a prolific writer and broadcaster as well as a practising family doctor and mother of three sons, including twins. She graduated in medicine from Cambridge University. After this, she spent several years in different hospital specialities, most recently rheumatology, before entering general practice soon after the birth of her first child.

Carol regularly appears on TV and radio, giving expert medical opinions on topical health matters.

Carol’s books are mainly on child health and parenting, including the much-loved Twins & Multiple Births. Most of the titles are a fusion of her personal experience and her professional expertise. As a journalist, her work appears in publications as diverse as The Sun and The Lancet. She is The Sun’s doctor and is honorary consultant in family medicine to Tamba, the Twins & Multiple Births Association.

A lone parent, Carol finds that her three sons, now all young adults, provide endless inspiration as well as welcome relief from medical practice. She says that, no matter how hard you work as a medic, you reach more people with a pen than you can with a stethoscope.

Although Carol writes and broadcasts on many health topics from meningitis to athlete’s foot, her special interests are child and family medicine, men’s health, sports medicine, twins/multiple births, and arthritis/rheumatism.