Poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis ("polio"), or infantile paralysis, is a viral paralytic disease. The causative agent, a virus called poliovirus (PV), enters the body orally, infecting the intestinal lining. It may proceed to the blood stream and into the central nervous system causing muscle weakness and often paralysis.

Polio and children

Young children who contract polio are likely to suffer only mild symptoms, and as a result they may become permanently immune to the disease. Hence inhabitants of areas with better sanitation may actually be more susceptible to polio because fewer people have the disease as young children.

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People who have survived polio sometimes develop additional symptoms, notably muscle weakness and extreme fatigue, decades later; these symptoms are called post-polio syndrome. Since it's possible to have a polio infection without having significant paralysis, many people who are unaware they ever had polio may now be suffering from post-polio syndrome.

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