Bell's palsy

Guillain-Barré syndrome, Bell's palsy, acute flaccid myelitis and transverse myelitis are not polio “renamed”, despite claims posted online.

The presence of cVDPV in sewage indicates potential undiagnosed infections in the community ( [here](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/polio-virus-found-new-york-city-wastewater-suggesting-local-transmission-2022-08-12/) and [here](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/polio-spreading-london-booster-campaign-launched-under-10s-health-agency-2022-08-10/)). Isolated outbreaks of wild poliovirus (WPV) do still occur in countries where the virus remains endemic, such as Pakistan and Afghanistan ( [here](https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/10/news-scan-oct-07-2022)). The strain causing the outbreak becomes known as circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) ( Poliovirus infection, while extremely rare, can lead to some of these syndromes, but the syndromes themselves also have other, more common causes and distinct symptoms. This syndrome has been linked to infections – including with herpesviruses and enteroviruses – but also to autoimmune disorders that affect the nerves, such as multiple sclerosis, lupus and Sjogren's syndrome, according to the Mayo Clinic ( [here](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/transverse-myelitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354726)). However, Stonehouse added: “Both of these (AFM and TM) are syndromes with a number of causes. Mild cases typically resolve within a month, according to the Mayo Clinic, and the condition is often linked to viruses that tend to invade nerve tissue – such as Herpes simplex, Epstein Barr virus, and the Herpes zoster virus that causes Chickenpox and Shingles ( [here](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bells-palsy/symptoms-causes/syc-20370028)). Though primarily seen following an acute infection, GBS can also be a rare side effect of vaccination ( [here](https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/guillain-barre-syndrome.html)). Symptoms are described as polio-like, and, like polio, the cause is often a virus that infects the gastrointestinal tract (an enterovirus). Jones said, “but occasionally the virus finds its way to nervous tissue where it can also infect”. GBS symptoms can include tingling, weakness, or even paralysis, but these usually resolve within about eight weeks, and 70% of patients make a full recovery ( The syndromes differ from polio, which is a specific disease caused by infection with the poliovirus.