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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 U.N. agency estimates that 1 in 200 polio cases results in permanent paralysis, usually of the legs. ... Before the first vaccine was developed in the 1950s, polio was among the most feared ...
The disease then began a slow decline for much of the remainder of the year. [3] The height of the epidemic lasted from June to November. Once cases began to subside, businesses reopened, and the public fear decreased. The overall mortality rate throughout the city was estimated to be about 25%, and the disease left many more paralyzed. [4]
– What is polio? Polio is a life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. High temperature. Extreme fatigue. Headaches. Vomiting. ... In extreme cases polio can cause paralysis, usually in ...
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.
Michael Underwood (29 September 1737 – 14 March 1820) was an English physician and surgeon, born in West Molesey in Surrey. [1] He is a relevant figure in the history of medicine and pediatrics for having given the first known description of several childhood diseases, infantile paralysis and polio included.
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.
[2] [3] He contracted polio at the age of six and was paralyzed for life, only able to move his head, neck, and mouth. [4] [5] [6] During a major U.S. outbreak of polio in the early 1950s, hundreds of children around Dallas, Texas, including Alexander, were taken to Parkland Hospital. There, children were treated in a ward of iron lungs.