What is poliomyelitis

Across the United States, polio takes the lives of about 6, people, and paralyzes thousands more. The U. Albert Sabin. Rotary International begins its fight against polio with a multi-year project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. There are an estimated , cases of polio in countries. The International Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication announces that polio has been eliminated from the Americas.

Health workers and volunteers immunize million children in China and India in 1 week. Rotary launches the PolioPlus Partners program, enabling Rotary members in polio-free countries to provide support to fellow members in polio-affected countries for polio eradication activities. The Western Pacific region, spanning from Australia to China, is declared polio-free.

In Africa, synchronized National Immunization Days in 23 countries target 80 million children, the largest coordinated polio immunization effort on the continent. The number of polio-endemic countries drops to 4 - Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Pakistan. CDC guidance on maintaining the integrity of specimens for collection, storage, and shipment. CDC Related Links. Page last reviewed: September 28, Content source: Global Immunization. Global Immunization home Polio.

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CDC is not responsible for Section compliance accessibility on other federal or private website. Cancel Continue. Signs and symptoms of non-paralytic polio can last from one to 10 days. These signs and symptoms can be flu-like and can include:. About 1 percent of polio cases can develop into paralytic polio.

Paralytic polio leads to paralysis in the spinal cord spinal polio , brainstem bulbar polio , or both bulbospinal polio. Initial symptoms are similar to non-paralytic polio. But after a week, more severe symptoms will appear.

These symptoms include:. Less than 1 percent of all polio cases will result in permanent paralysis. In 5—10 percent of the polio paralysis cases, the virus will attack the muscles that help you breathe and cause death.

This can occur after 15 to 40 years. Common symptoms of post-polio syndrome PPS are:. Treatment involves management strategies to improve your quality of life and reduce pain or fatigue.

As a highly contagious virus, polio transmits through contact with infected feces. Objects like toys that have come near infected feces can also transmit the virus. Sometimes it can transmit through a sneeze or a cough, as the virus lives in the throat and intestines. This is less common. People living in areas with limited access to running water or flush toilets often contract polio from drinking water contaminated by infected human waste.

According to the Mayo Clinic , the virus is so contagious that anyone living with someone who has the virus can catch it too. If you're unvaccinated or your vaccination status is undocumented, get a series of primary polio vaccination shots — two doses of IPV at four- to eight-week intervals and a third dose six to 12 months after the second dose. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.

Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Polio is a contagious viral illness that in its most severe form causes nerve injury leading to paralysis, difficulty breathing and sometimes death.

Nerve cell neuron Open pop-up dialog box Close. Nerve cell neuron The basic unit of communication in the nervous system is the nerve cell neuron. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Jubelt B.

Polio and infectious diseases of the anterior horn. Accessed Oct. What is polio?