What is Polio?

Polio is a chronic illness, also referred to as poliomyelitis influences the inflammation of the grey matter where nerves are affected. Poliovirus condition can cause the inability to move limbs and it has been observed that the aggressive virus can invade the breathing patterns and in rare cases, cause death. Let’s delve deeper into the symptoms, how polio affects the body, vaccinations and more. Read on.

How does Polio affect an individual?

Poliovirus affects the nervous system, and the cells present in the spinal cord. It makes an easy entry through the mouth, while the virus is ingested, the cells lining the throat and intestines are brutally affected.

The prime contributor which is responsible for the spreading of the virus is believed to be the faeces of the infected individuals. The virus travels through the bloodstream to different organs and parts of the body, causing a lot of weakness throughout. The damage caused due to the virus can also lead to paralysis and trouble breathing in some rare cases.

The severity of the virus depends on the age an individual. Some people can go asymptomatic while others might face mild flu-like symptoms in the beginning.

Symptoms

While the symptoms may vary from person to person, some common ones include:

• Headache
• Neck pain or stiffness in the spine
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Stiffness in arms and legs
• Abdominal pain
• Muscle spasms

It’s vital to check and make a necessary note of these symptoms. Primarily, the virus affects individuals under the age of 5 and the symptoms vary on the immune system. Poliovirus vaccination is the only solution which is effective in reducing the chances of getting affected by the virus.

Types of Polio Vaccine

Individuals without the vaccination are prone to catching the deadly virus. So, it is recommended to take the necessary steps and the polio vaccination can not only keep your child safe but can also protect against the polio disease.

Two types of polio vaccines are:

• Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)
• Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV)

In layman's terms, the vaccine given by injection is an inactivated polio vaccine and the vaccine given by the mouth is an oral polio vaccine.

The IPV is a series of injection shots. It is believed that an individual can’t spread polio or get sick after this vaccine.

On the other hand, OPV is a liquid vaccine that uses a weakened live virus that wouldn’t make you sick. OPV can have one or all three types of polioviruses so that it can strengthen your immune system and body. The polio virus multiplies and is released from the stool.

Prevention

The only way to keep children safe from polio is by completing the polio vaccination course. These shots can eliminate the chances of developing polio. According to the polio vaccination schedule, the polio dosage must be given at the age of:

• 2 months
• 4 months
• 6- 18 months
• 4-6 years

It is recommended to have polio shots on the advised schedules to prevent long-term complications.

Risk Factors

The virus can easily get inside your mouth and invade the nervous system. Well according to the statistics, children are more likely to get affected by this deadly virus than adults. Poliovirus spreads when you get into direct contact with contaminated faeces, water or food of an infected person. This can easily happen when the food or water is dirty or unhygienic. Lack of vaccination can elevate the chances of getting affected by polio.

It has been observed that the virus is more common in poor geographic areas where vaccines aren’t available easily. Breathing in the same air as the affected person increases the risk of catching polio as well.

An individual needs to adopt a healthy lifestyle by making a slight shift in their daily routine. By exercising regularly and maintaining a balanced diet can reduce the risk of long-term complications of the disease. Regular medical check-ups can also help in monitoring the health and detecting potential issues.

Oral health is more than just clean teeth and fresh breath—it’s a window into overall health. While most people prioritize brushing and flossing, tongue hygiene often goes ignored. This oversight can lead to problems such as bad breath (halitosis), altered taste, dry mouth, infections, and even systemic health issues. A new review published in journal Cureus, part of Springer Nature, titled Importance of a Healthy Tongue: Could It Be a Reflection of Overall Health in Children? highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy tongue and draws attention to its role in both pediatric and adult oral care.

Why Tongue Health Matters

The tongue is a multifunctional organ, vital for chewing, swallowing, speaking, and tasting. It’s covered with papillae that contain taste buds and serve as a breeding ground for bacteria if not cleaned regularly. Food particles and microorganisms can get trapped, especially on the dorsum of the tongue, causing bad breath and increasing the risk of infections like oral thrush.

Children under 18 months are especially vulnerable due to underdeveloped oral routines and exposure to pacifiers and bottle nipples. In these cases, even breastfed babies can develop thrush, which may be linked to maternal factors such as poor breast hygiene or antibiotic use.

Health Clues from the Tongue

A healthy tongue is typically pink with a slightly rough surface due to papillae. Any changes in color, size, texture, or shape could signal an underlying issue. For example:

• A yellow tongue may suggest infection.

• A gray-black coating could reflect digestive disorders.

• A bluish tint might indicate poor oxygen levels or heart conditions.

• An enlarged (macroglossia) or undersized (microglossia) tongue could point to congenital syndromes, nutritional deficiencies, or inflammatory diseases.

• Certain conditions like geographic tongue, atrophic glossitis, or hairy tongue further show how tongue health connects to systemic wellness, nutritional status, and even immunity.

Children vs. Adults: Different Tongues, Different Needs

In infants, tongue hygiene can start as early as feeding time—using a damp cloth to clean milk residue. As children grow, introducing tongue scraping around age 3 or 4 can help build lifelong habits. However, many children resist the sensation, and their motor skills may not yet allow for effective cleaning. Making the process fun and rewarding helps, as does school-based education.

For adults, the stakes are different. With age, taste sensitivity may diminish, and poor hygiene may go unnoticed. Lifestyle factors—smoking, diet, medications—can contribute to bacterial buildup and systemic effects. For example, research links poor oral hygiene to cardiovascular risks. Regular tongue cleaning, hydration, and avoiding tobacco use can mitigate such issues.

Small Step, Big Impact

The tongue plays a central role in maintaining a healthy oral environment. A few seconds spent scraping the tongue during routine brushing can prevent several oral and systemic problems. Yet, it remains a neglected part of oral care, especially among children and older adults. Pediatricians, dentists, and caregivers must reinforce its importance from infancy through old age.

Pregnancy can be a very difficult time for women. They are not only providing for themselves but also working on building a new being. This only drains them of their energy but also costs them their health. There is a delicate balance between keeping themselves healthy, and making sure their unborn child remains unharmed.

What many people do not know is that even small things like gaining weight during pregnancy, or being overweight before the pregnancy, could be the reason why their children could be suffering from health issues.

A new study reveals that children born to women who are obese face a greater chance of being hospitalized due to a severe infection. This risk is particularly pronounced in early life and continues into adolescence.

Risk Across Childhood

Babies under one year old had a 41% higher chance of being hospitalized for an infection if their mom was very obese during pregnancy. This was reported by researchers on June 3 in the journal BMJ Medicine. The study also found that this increased risk lasts into childhood and even the teen years, with kids aged 5 to 15 being 53% more likely to need hospital care for an infection.

The research team noted that most of these extra hospital stays were for breathing issues, stomach problems, and common viral infections. They stressed that these findings show how important it is to help women get and stay at a healthy weight before they get pregnant.

Growing Problem and What the Study Found

The number of pregnant women who are obese has almost doubled in recent decades. It went from less than 9% in the 1990s to over 16% in the 2010s. To look into the possible health risks for children when moms are obese during pregnancy, researchers studied 9,540 births in Bradford, U.K., between March 2007 and December 2010. They found that about 56% of the mothers in this study were overweight or obese during their pregnancy.

The results clearly showed that moms with severe obesity (a body mass index, or BMI, of 35 or higher) had children with a higher chance of getting infections. (BMI is a way to guess how much body fat a person has based on their height and weight.)

What's Causing the Risk?

Interestingly, some things often linked to obesity during pregnancy weren't as big of a factor as expected. For example, pre-term birth (babies born early) only explained 7% of the link between a mom's obesity and childhood infections. However, C-section birth explained a larger 21% of the risk, and the child being obese by ages 4 or 5 explained 26%. This suggests that dealing with C-section rates or childhood obesity could help lower kids' infection risk.

Researchers think that a mom's obesity during pregnancy might affect a child's inflammation, genes, how their body uses food, and their gut bacteria. Any of these could impact the child's developing immune system, making them more likely to get infections.

Why a Healthy Weight Before Pregnancy Matters

The study concludes that doctors should encourage women who are able to have children to reach and keep a healthy weight. The researchers pointed out that pregnancy is a great time to make lasting healthy changes to one's lifestyle. So, supporting women during pregnancy and after birth to make healthier food and lifestyle choices could help both the mom's health and her child's weight, possibly lowering their risk of infections.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting a comprehensive review of infant formula ingredients. It was initiated under the guidance of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as part of his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, pledging to overhaul the U.S. food supply.

Behind this action is a mounting concern: although infant formula is still a staple for scores of American families, the science and nutritional criteria used to produce it have not materially changed since 1998. With changing worldwide research on infant nutrition and increasingly anxious parents worrying about contaminants, additives, and ingredient disclosure, this review could not be more timely.

Roughly 75% of U.S. infants are dependent on formula for the first six months, and for nearly 40%, it is the exclusive source of nutrition, as the CDC reports. In spite of world campaigns promoting exclusive breastfeeding, infant formula has emerged as a lifeline for parents who are unable—or unwilling—to breastfeed because of medical concerns, work schedules, or personal preference.

Formula is made to imitate breast milk of human women and usually comes from cow milk or soy. According to present FDA guidelines, every infant formula product is required to have 30 nutrients essential for infants in specific proportions. Yet, the technology of infants' digestion and nutrition requirements has progressed immensely, leading experts to wonder if the standards are yet sufficient.

Why Is The Government's Pushing for Nutritional Transparency?

Secretary Kennedy's call to action comes as part of a comprehensive national effort to enhance the U.S. food supply chain. The review is happening in the face of increasing parental distrust and industry trends which indicate that existing rules might not be completely in accordance with recent worldwide research on infant feeding. This effort will take into consideration an array of factors, including:

• Nutrient content and bioavailability
• Incidence of contaminants such as heavy metals
• Variations in international nutritional standards
• Possible threats from added sugars and seed oils

There is a planned roundtable discussion where scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers will engage in a debate on infant formula in the U.S. The FDA currently invites public and expert comment until the September 11 deadline.

What Are The Ingredients in Infant Formula?

Although the current formula is deemed safe, scientists insist that modern science highlights new nutritional findings not necessarily captured by existing rules. The FDA's 30-list of essential nutrients has not changed much since the 90s—even though studies on breast milk composition have dramatically changed.

Some of the main issues under consideration are:

Iron Content: American formulas generally have more iron content than European ones. Iron is crucial but, like too much of anything, could have unexpected side effects, so a rethinking may be in order.

DHA and HMOs: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are recent additions designed to make formula as much like human milk as possible. Yet these are not necessary in every product.

Added Sugars: Corn syrup solids and glucose are common in certain formulas and can be responsible for early weight gain. Lactose, the natural sugar found in breast milk, is a better option.

Seed Oils: Widely maligned by health activists, seed oils are nevertheless essential to matching the fatty acid profile of breast milk, according to experts.

Bridget Young, an infant nutritionist at the University of Rochester, pressed the point to examine beyond ingredient labels to consider bioavailability—how well the body can absorb and utilize these foods.

Kennedy's bill also seems to be in response to lessons gleaned from the 2022 formula shortage, when contamination of an Abbott plant caused a national shortage. Parents frantically sought to get safe food into their babies, demonstrating how weak and undiversified the U.S. formula supply chain really is.

More compatibility with global standards, analysts contend, would have alleviated the shortage by facilitating faster importation of safe foreign-made brands. Kennedy's proposal seeks to avoid such disruptions by increasing regulatory leeway and strengthening safety protocols.

Should Parents Be Worried?

Some parents have in the last few years opted for European infant formulas, deeming them to be more healthy because of variations in ingredient listings and the degree of labeling transparency.

Though European and American recipes vary in iron levels or forms of sugar, neither is inherently superior. Each is constructed within a distinct regulatory and cultural context.

Rather than advocating for one over the other, Kennedy's report aims to take the best from both worlds merging U.S. regulation with evidence-driven international nutritional research.

What Parents Need to Know Before Buying Baby Formula

While no short-term changes are being implemented to the amount or type of infant formula available on retail shelves, the review is a significant departure from the manner in which the federal government plans to regulate the nutrition of babies.

The review will take a minimum of one year and will require coordination among government, industry, pediatric nutritionists, and consumers. Abrams cautions that this cannot be a cosmetic effort: "No shortcuts are possible. No one white paper or committee report will suffice."

For the moment, health professionals are assuring parents that infant formulas available today are still safe and nutritionally adequate. But the future could bring formulas that are not only safe but even more biologically relevant and designed to the most recent science regarding infant development.