Polio was once one of the most feared diseases in the United States. Thanks to the polio vaccine, wild poliovirus has been eliminated here. Keeping immunity high through vaccination is the best way to keep it that way — and the vaccine is safe and effective.
Image from CDC's page about polio in the United States.
Symptoms
Most people infected with poliovirus have no visible symptoms.
| How many infected people | What happens |
|---|---|
| About 1 in 4 | Flu-like illness for 2–5 days: sore throat, fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, stomach pain |
| About 1–5 in 100, depending on virus type | Meningitis — infection of the covering of the brain and/or spinal cord |
| About 1 in 200 to 1 in 2,000, depending on virus type | Paralysis or weakness in the arms, legs or both |
Paralysis is the most severe outcome, because it can cause permanent disability and death: 2 to 10 of every 100 people paralyzed by polio die when the virus affects the muscles they breathe with.
If you think you or a family member has polio symptoms, call a health care provider right away or go to an emergency room.
Post-polio syndrome
Post-polio syndrome (PPS) can strike polio survivors decades later. It is not contagious. It affects 25 to 40 of every 100 survivors, beginning about 15 to 40 years after the original infection, with muscle weakness, mental and physical fatigue and joint pain. Some people have minor symptoms; others develop visible weakness and muscle shrinkage. PPS is rarely life-threatening but can make it hard to live independently.
How it spreads
Poliovirus is very contagious. It infects only people, enters through the mouth, lives in the throat and intestines, and spreads from person to person — from just before symptoms appear until up to 2 weeks after. People with no symptoms can still spread it. You can catch it through:
- contact with an infected person's feces — for example, eating or drinking contaminated food or water, putting a contaminated toy in your mouth, touching a contaminated object and then your mouth, or caring for a sick person;
- less commonly, droplets from an infected person's sneeze or cough.
Anyone not up to date on polio vaccines is at risk. Polio still occurs in other parts of the world, and it takes only one traveler to bring it into the United States.
Prevention
- Vaccinate children: 4 doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) protect more than 99% of children who get them all.
- Adults who know or suspect they are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated should get vaccinated; ask a provider about your status. International travelers may need extra protection.
- Wash hands often with soap and water — alcohol-based hand sanitizers don't kill poliovirus.
Testing and treatment
Tests can find poliovirus in specimens from the throat, stool and sometimes spinal fluid, by growing it in cell culture or detecting it by PCR.
There is no cure and no specific treatment for paralytic polio. Physical or occupational therapy can help with arm or leg weakness and may improve long-term outcomes, especially if started early. Providers may consult neurology and infectious disease specialists about possible treatments on a case-by-case basis.
Sources
Based on "About Polio in the United States," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
1
0
0
0
Comments
