Polio

Polio is an illness that can cause flu-like symptoms and paralysis. It’s caused by poliovirus, a germ that spreads easily from person to person. Most people have mild or no symptoms. But some people have severe symptoms that can lead to lifelong health conditions or death.
Polio no longer spreads in most of the world, including the U.S. But it’s not completely eradicated. As long as it exists in some parts of the world, it could start spreading again if vaccination rates drop.

You might hear polio called poliomyelitis when it causes weakness or paralysis.

Symptoms of polio

The most common symptoms of polio include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Stomach pain

Some people will develop severe symptoms a few days to weeks after the initial flu-like symptoms. These could include:

• Neck stiffness
• Pain or pins-and-needles feeling in your arms and legs (paresthesia)
• Severe headache
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
• Sensitivity to touch
• Muscle spasms
• Weakness or paralysis — this might make it hard or impossible to move parts of your body, or to breathe, swallow or speak

Most people infected with poliovirus don’t have symptoms. You can still spread the virus without symptoms.

Polio causes

A virus (poliovirus) causes polio. It’s a type of enterovirus. Poliovirus infects your throat and intestines, causing flu-like symptoms. It sometimes spreads to your brain and spinal cord. This can paralyze the muscles that you use to breathe, speak, swallow and move your limbs.

How do you get polio?

Polio is highly contagious. It spreads easily from person to person through contact with poop or respiratory droplets (coughing and sneezing). It also spreads through contaminated food or water.

Examples of ways polio can spread include:

• Not washing your hands after going to the bathroom or touching poop
• Drinking contaminated water or getting it in your mouth
• Swimming in contaminated water, including pools
• Eating foods that have touched contaminated water
• Coughing or sneezing
• Being in close contact with someone with polio
• Touching contaminated surfaces

Risk factors

If you aren’t fully vaccinated and you haven’t had polio in the past, you could get polio. You’re at a higher risk if you live in or travel to an area where polio still spreads.

At what age does polio occur?

You can get polio at any age. Young kids are more likely to get sick because they haven’t had it before and might not be fully vaccinated yet.

Complications of polio

Complications of polio include:

• Inflammation of your brain (encephalitis) or the lining around your brain and spinal cord (meningitis)
• Paralysis
• Post-polio syndrome, which can happen decades after you recover from polio
• Death

How doctors diagnose polio

A healthcare provider diagnoses polio based on symptoms and tests of body fluids. It’s important to let your provider know if you’ve traveled anywhere recently.

Your provider might take samples of body fluids to look for signs of polio or other infections. These samples could include:

• Spit (saliva) from your throat
• Poop (stool)
• Blood
• Cerebrospinal fluid (lumbar puncture)

Because polio symptoms look a lot like flu symptoms, your provider may do other tests to rule out more common conditions.

Is there a cure for polio?

No, there’s no cure for polio and there aren’t specific medications to treat it. There isn’t any way to make it go away faster or prevent paralysis.

Physical therapy might help weakened or paralyzed muscles. If you have weakened or paralyzed breathing muscles, you’ll need mechanical ventilation, a machine that helps you breathe.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Contact your healthcare provider if:

• You’ve been exposed to polio and have symptoms
• You have questions about getting vaccinated

It might be helpful to ask your provider:

• How can I take care of myself at home?
• When should I follow up with you?
• What symptoms should prompt me to go to the hospital?
• Am I contagious? For how long?
• Can I go to work or school?
• What can I do to make sure I don’t infect other people?
• When will I feel better?
• Will I have any long-term problems?

Can polio be prevented?

The best way to reduce your risk of polio is to get vaccinated against it. This usually happens in childhood. If you didn’t get vaccinated as a child or don’t know if you did, ask your healthcare provider about your options.

Other ways to reduce your risk include:

• Washing your hands frequently, especially after going to the bathroom or changing diapers
• Not going swimming if you have diarrhea, and not letting your kids go swimming if they’ve recently had diarrhea
• Drinking and cooking with bottled water if you’re in an area without access to clean water

What happens if you get polio?

Most cases of polio have flu-like symptoms that last a few days to a week. But there’s no way of knowing who will progress to severe symptoms and who won’t. You might feel better and then get additional symptoms days or weeks later.

Can you fully recover from polio?

Yes, most people recover from polio without long-lasting damage. In some cases, muscle weakness or paralysis is permanent.

If you had polio as a kid, you can develop post-polio syndrome as an adult.

Is there anything I can do to feel better?

You might help your symptoms by:

• Drinking fluids (such as water and broth)
• Using heat packs to help muscle aches
• Taking over-the-counter pain relievers — don’t give pain relievers to kids without asking their pediatricians first
• Doing physical therapy and any exercise recommended by your healthcare provider
• Getting plenty of rest

How was polio eradicated?

Childhood vaccination has eliminated polio in most parts of the world — that means it no longer spreads in most areas. Before widespread public health efforts, outbreaks of polio in the early 1900s paralyzed and killed thousands of people. In the last outbreak in 1952, polio paralyzed more than 21,000 people in the U.S., most of them children.

Widespread use of polio vaccines starting in 1955 greatly reduced poliovirus infections, with only 62 cases in 1965. Polio was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 1994. Sometimes, there can still be cases and outbreaks, usually from international travel. Polio can come back and start spreading again if people stop getting vaccinated.

Of the three types of wild poliovirus, types 2 and 3 are globally eradicated. That means there aren’t any naturally occurring cases anymore. Poliovirus type 1 has been eliminated in most countries but not eradicated worldwide.