Polio -- formerly called infantile paralysis -- is a viral disease. Polio virus, which usually infects children, multiplies in the intestinal tract and spreads by fecal contamination of food and water, especially where sanitation is poor. The...
Epidemics of poliomyelitis have crippled thousands of people across the globe, striking mostly young children with paralysis and muscle weakness. In 1952, in the United States alone, nearly 60,000 cases of poliomyelitis were recorded, with more...
The polio virus is the causative agent of poliomyelitis, one of the most feared diseases of the twentieth century, responsible for crippling thousands of people across the globe, prior to distribution of a vaccine developed by Jonas Salk in the...
The polio virus invades the nervous system through direct person-to-person contact. The virus lives in the phlegm or feces of an infected person and enters via the mouth or nose. The polio virus causes devastating physical effects, often resulting...
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines key terms used in the discussion of pandemic diseases: "A disease epidemic occurs when there are more cases of that disease than normal. A pandemic is a worldwide epidemic of a disease." Scientific...
The polio virus causes an illness called poliomyelitis. The wild-type polio virus has been eradicated from the United States, and its incidence is also decreasing around the world, thanks to aggressive vaccination programs. There have been no...
A loss of muscle tone and energy in a child is a clear warning sign that something's terribly wrong. A number of serious conditions may lead to weakness and muscle loss. Some of these conditions are easily treatable, while others represent a...
A vaccine is a suspension of weakened disease-causing organisms that are given to a person to stimulate his immune system and thus protect him against the disease caused by the organism. Required vaccines for children entering school vary among...
Immunizations are an integral part of a person's health plan. According to the Kids Health Organization, some parents hesitate to have children vaccinated. Routine vaccines are unlikely to cause any serious illness, although some may cause mild...
There is often criticism of childhood vaccinations and their use to prevent serious illnesses. People often wonder why they need to continue to vaccinate their children against polio--no one gets polio anymore! The reason that there is no longer...
