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Polio

About Polio 

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a serious and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person. It can infect a person’s spinal cord and cause muscle weakness, paralysis or death.  There is no cure for polio, but it is preventable through safe and effective vaccination. 

Polio What You Need to Know

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Symptoms 

  • Polio is highly infectious. There are a range of symptoms people infected with polio may experience.  These range from having no symptoms, to flu-like symptoms, to serious symptoms including paralysis, permanent disability or even death. 
  • Post-polio syndrome is a cluster of disabling signs and symptoms that can affect some people years after having polio.
  • Symptoms can take up to 30 days to appear, during which time an infected individual can be shedding virus to others.  A person can spread the virus even if they aren't sick or experiencing symptoms.

How it Spreads

  • Poliovirus is very contagious and spreads through person-to-person contact.
  • It lives in an infected person’s throat and intestines.
  • The polio virus enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with the stool of an infected person.
  • Droplets from a sneeze or cough of an infected person may spread the virus but is less common.
  • Symptoms can take up to 30 days to appear, during which time an infected individual can be shedding virus to others.  A person can spread the virus even if they aren't sick or experiencing symptoms.
  • In communities with lower vaccination rates, polio can spread even more easily. That is why it is so important for people ages 2 months and older to get vaccinated against polio as soon as possible.

Vaccine and Prevention

There are two types of vaccine that can prevent polio:

  1. Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) given as an injection in the leg or arm, depending on the patient’s age. Only IPV has been used in the United States since 2000.
  2. Oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) is still used throughout much of the world.

Polio vaccine is very effective. According to CDC, IPV protects 99% of children who get all the recommended doses.  It's important that both adults and children get all recommended doses for the best protection possible.

It is also very important to practice good hand hygiene and wash hands often with soap and water. Note that alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not kill poliovirus.

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