11 Facts About Polio

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1. Polio is an infection caused by a virus that affects the entire body, including muscles and nerves.^[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Polio." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web Accessed August 1, 2014]
2. There are 3 types of polio: non-paralytic (does not lead to paralysis), spinal-paralytic (can result in the paralysis of one or more limbs), and bulbar (can result in weak muscles, reflex loss, and respiratory problems).^[MayoClinic. "Polio." Web Accessed July 31, 2014]
3. Up to 95% of polio cases show no symptoms. A small number of people may have fever, sore throat, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or diarrhea.^[New York State Department of Health. "Poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis, polio)." Web Accessed August 1, 2014]
4. 1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually of the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5 to 10% of patients die when breathing muscles become immobilized.^[World Health Organization. "Poliomyelitis." Web Accessed July 30, 2014]
5. The virus is found in saliva and feces of sick people. It can be spread by direct contact with sick persons or through the air when a sick person talks, coughs, or sneezes. It is also spread by food, water, or hands contaminated with infected feces.^[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Polio Fact Sheet." Web Accessed August 1, 2014]
6. Polio can infect a person of any age, but children five and under are especially vulnerable and make up roughly 50% of polio victims.^[World Health Organization. "Poliomyelitis." Web Accessed July 30, 2014]
7. Polio cases have decreased more than 99% since 1988 from an estimated 350,000 cases to 416 cases in 2013. The reduction is the result of the global effort to eradicate the disease.^[World Health Organization. "Poliomyelitis." Web Accessed July 30, 2014]
8. The World Health Assembly launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) with the support of key health organizations in 1988 to focus on creating a solution to polio.^[World Health Organization. "Poliomyelitis." Web Accessed July 30, 2014]
9. As of 2014, three countries remain infected with the virus: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan.^[World Health Organization. "Poliomyelitis." Web Accessed July 30, 2014]
10. About 2 to 5 children out of 100 who have paralysis from polio die because the virus affects the muscles that help them breathe.^[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Polio Fact Sheet." Web Accessed August 1, 2014]
11. Jonas Salk produced the first polio vaccine in 1952, the best way to prevent Polio because there is no cure for polio.^[A Science Odyssey. “Salk produces polio vaccine.” PBS. 1998. Web Accessed November 11, 2014]