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Poliomyelitis (/ ˌ p oʊ l i oʊ ˌ m aɪ ə ˈ l aɪ t ɪ s / POH-lee-oh-MY-ə-LY-tiss), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. [1] Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; [5] mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe symptoms develop such as headache, neck stiffness, and paresthesia.
The organization initially focused on the rehabilitation of victims of paralytic polio and supported the work of Jonas Salk and others that led to the development of polio vaccines. The modern March of Dimes focuses on preventing premature births, congenital disabilities, and infant mortality.
In severe cases, polio can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis within hours, according to the WHO. The U.N. agency estimates that 1 in 200 polio cases results in permanent paralysis ...
Most infections are asymptomatic; a small number cause a minor illness that is indistinguishable from many other viral illnesses; less than 1% result in acute flaccid paralysis. This article lists people who had the paralytic form of polio. The extent of paralysis varies from part of a limb to quadriplegia and respiratory failure.
Up to 0.5% develop paralysis of or weakness in the arms and/or legs—and up to 10% of those paralyzed die. Even people with mild infections can experience post-polio syndrome (PPS) decades later.
Before vaccines were available in 1955, polio caused 15,000 cases of paralysis in the US each year. The US eliminated the disease in 1979, but unvaccinated travelers can still carry polio in.
What is polio? Polio is an infection caused by a virus that mostly affects children under 5. Most people infected with polio don’t have any symptoms, but it can cause fever, headaches, vomiting and stiffness of the spine. In severe cases, polio can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis within hours, according to the WHO.
In the early 1950s, before Salk’s vaccine, polio outbreaks caused more than 15,000 cases of paralysis each year, the CDC said. After the vaccines — there are two: trivalent inactivated ...