Polio is a viral disease that affects nerves in the brainstem and the spinal cord. The most severe forms of polio can lead to paralysis, trouble breathing, and even death. A vaccination effort worldwide has made polio very rare over the last few decades. However, it can still spread, so it’s important to know the symptoms, risk factors, and how to treat and prevent it.
There are a few different types of polio. Common symptoms of the mildest form of the disease, called abortive polio, include:
These symptoms last about 2-3 days. Common symptoms of a more severe form, called nonparalytic polio, include the above symptoms and neck pain, severe headache, neck and spine stiffness, weakness of the muscles, and delayed reflexes. It lasts longer but does not cause paralysis.
The most serious form of the disease is very rare and begins with mild symptoms. It progresses until the affected are sensitive to touch, have muscle spasms, and experience paralysis in certain limbs. Paralysis in one leg is most common.
It’s important to note that most people infected with poliovirus, the virus that causes polio, never experience symptoms.
Polio is caused by poliovirus, which targets nerve cells that help control movement. Most polio infections are now caused by vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV). VDPV is not caused directly by the weakened virus in the vaccine.
Rather, VDPV is a strain of polio that evolves in a community where a few people are vaccinated, but several are not vaccinated, providing them no protection against polio of any kind. Poliovirus spreads in faeces and in airborne droplets.
Children are most likely to get poliovirus, but anyone not immunised is at an increased risk of developing polio.
If your healthcare provider thinks you may have polio, they will perform a physical exam and take a medical history. Many providers suspect polio based on the physical appearance of symptoms. A faecal analysis can confirm the presence of poliovirus. Your provider may also want to test the fluid around your spinal cord by doing a lumbar puncture.
Complications of polio include paralysis, chronic pain, muscle shortening, and post-polio syndrome.
There is not a cure for polio at present. Treatment focuses on symptom management. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you may be treated with pain medication, hot packs for muscle spasms, physical therapy, oxygen to help with the work of breathing, and splints or similar devices that can help encourage proper alignment of the limbs. The most effective way to prevent the spread of polio is to get the inactivated polio vaccine.