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The history of polio (poliomyelitis) infections began during prehistory. Although major polio epidemics were unknown before the 20th century, [1] the disease has caused paralysis and death for much of human history. Over millennia, polio survived quietly as an endemic pathogen until the 1900s when major epidemics began to occur in Europe. [1]
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.
Polio eradication, the goal of permanent global cessation of circulation of the poliovirus and hence elimination of the poliomyelitis (polio) it causes, is the aim of a multinational public health effort begun in 1988, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Rotary Foundation. [55]
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 ...
Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a distinctly contagious illness caused by a virus called poliovirus. The virus targets the nervous system, which is why it sometimes triggers spinal and respiratory ...
By 1961, only 161 cases of polio were documented. Before the vaccine, the disease had been a major cause of disability in children, according to theMayo Clinic. Several polio epidemics occurred ...
At critical points in American history the public health movement focused on different priorities. When epidemics or pandemics took place the movement focused on minimizing the disaster, as well as sponsoring long-term statistical and scientific research into finding ways to cure or prevent such dangerous diseases as smallpox, malaria, cholera.
In extreme cases polio can cause paralysis, usually in the legs, although movement typically comes back within a few weeks or months. However, it can be life-threatening if it paralyses the ...