POLIO

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a cr
ippling and potentially deadly i
nfectious disease. It is caused
by the poliovirus. The virus spr
eads from person to person and c
an invade an infected person’s
brain and spinal cord, causing p
aralysis (can’t move parts of t
he body).
 Symptoms
Most people who get infected wit
h poliovirus (about 72 out of 10
0) will not have any visible sym
ptoms.
About 1 out of 4 people with pol
iovirus infection will have flu-
like symptoms that may include—
 Sore throat
Fever
Tiredness
Nausea
Headache
Stomach pain
These symptoms usually last 2 to 5
days then go away on their own.
 Prevention
Polio vaccine protects children by preparing
their bodies to fight the polio virus. Almos
t all children (99 children out of 100) who
get all the recommended doses of vaccine wil
l be protected from polio.
There are two types of vaccin
e that can prevent polio: ina
ctivated poliovirus vaccine
(IPV) and oral poliovirus vac
cine (OPV). Only IPV has been
used in the United States sin
ce 2000; OPV is still used th
roughout much of the world.