4 Ways to Treat Poliomyelitis

1. Manage Pain Symptoms

Poliomyelitis, strictly speaking, cannot be cured outright. It's a viral infection, and viruses can typically only be treated with supportive care. While the best treatment is prevention--using a polio vaccine--symptom control is about all that can be done for patients who contract the condition.

Your child will be experiencing general malaise and aches and pains if he gets the polio virus, and you should use acetaminophen to control it. It can be dangerous to give aspirin to children, so avoid it. Also, do not exceed the recommended maximum dosage of any analgesics you do administer.

2. Encourage Rest and Relaxation

As with any viral infection, supportive care includes plenty of rest. You should encourage your child to avoid unnecessary physical exertion, get plenty of sleep and stay off her feet while she recovers.

Most polio patients develop fever symptoms, and you can use the severity of the fever as an informal measuring stick for the amount of rest needed. Once the fever begins to abate, the patient can slowly return to normal levels of activity if she feels up to it.

3. Use Heat to Reduce Muscle Pain

In addition to body aches and pains, your child's muscles will be sore and tender. To combat these symptoms, you can apply heat using a hot water bottle, hot pack or a heating pad. If you choose to use this strategy to help reduce the patient's muscle tension, refresh yourself on proper application techniques. Heat should not be continually applied for more than about 10 minutes, and you should avoid putting the heat source directly on the skin. Instead, apply it through flannel or other clothing and wait at least 10 to 20 minutes between applications.

4. The Importance of Proper Diet

To keep and recover strength, the polio patient needs to eat a balanced diet of nutritious, natural foods from all food groups. While a reduction in appetite is a common symptom in patients affected by viral infections, you can give the recovery process a boost by making sure the patient takes in adequate food.

Also, administer plenty of clear fluids, especially water. This will help flush the virus out of the patient's system faster, leading to a speedier recovery and reducing the chances of serious complications.