Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by polioviruses. It is transmitted only from person to person through the fecal-oral route or, less frequently, by contaminated water or food.
Signs and symptoms of polio range from no symptoms to limb deformities, paralysis, and even death.
Not receiving the polio vaccine, weak immunity, and travel to areas endemic to the disease are the main risk factors for getting infected with poliovirus.
Diagnosis of polio is based on the patient's history, physical exam, and symptoms. The virus may be isolated from the patient's throat, feces, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to confirm the diagnosis.
There is no cure for polio. Treatment of polio is mainly supportive and focuses on limiting and alleviating symptoms.
For most patients, the prognosis is good because there are few or no symptoms; however, the prognosis is severely limited if the patient develops more severe symptoms such as limb deformity, paralysis, difficulty breathing, and inability to swallow foods.
Polio can only be prevented by immunization. The vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life. Due to the launch of a few initiatives like Global Polio Eradication, more than 18 million people who would otherwise have been paralyzed can walk today.
