Polia virus

Almost all children 99 children to out of who get all the recommended doses of the inactivated polio vaccine will be protected from polio. CDC laboratories conduct testing for poliovirus including culture, PCR, genome sequencing, and serology.

CDC containment of the poliovirus is critical to minimizing the risk of the virus causing harm in the environment. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Global Immunization. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. What is Polio? Minus Related Pages. Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. On This Page. Learn More. Transmission Poliovirus is very contagious and spreads through person-to-person contact.

Poliovirus only infects people. It enters the body through the mouth and spreads through: Contact with the feces poop of an infected person. Droplets from a sneeze or cough of an infected person less common. The oral poliovirus vaccine OPV is used in many countries to protect against polio disease and has been essential to the eradication effort. There are different types of oral poliovirus vaccine which may contain one, a combination of two, or all three different types of attenuated, or weakened, vaccine.

Each has their own advantages and disadvantages over the others. Though rare, when there is insufficient coverage in a community, the vaccine-virus may be able to circulate, mutate, and over the course of 12 to 18 months, cause paralysis. Inactivated poliovirus vaccine IPV protects people against all three types of poliovirus. IPV does not contain live virus, so people who receive this vaccine do not shed the virus and cannot infect others, and the vaccine cannot cause disease.

IPV does not stop transmission of the virus. OPV is used wherever a polio outbreak needs to be contained, even in countries which rely exclusively on IPV for their routine immunization program.

Poliovirus containment is focused on eradicated polioviruses. Containment measures external icon are being put in place for laboratories or other facilities that handle or store eradicated polioviruses. Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease.

Learn more about the symptoms and how the virus is spread from person-to-person. Polio vaccine provides the best protection against polio disease. A single booster dose of IPV lasts a lifetime. Adults at risk include those who are traveling to parts of the world where polio still occurs or those who care for people who have polio. If you're unvaccinated or your vaccination status is undocumented, get a series of primary polio vaccination shots — two doses of IPV at four- to eight-week intervals and a third dose six to 12 months after the second dose.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic Press. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Polio is a contagious viral illness that in its most severe form causes nerve injury leading to paralysis, difficulty breathing and sometimes death. Nerve cell neuron Open pop-up dialog box Close.

Nerve cell neuron The basic unit of communication in the nervous system is the nerve cell neuron. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Jubelt B. Polio and infectious diseases of the anterior horn. Accessed Oct. What is polio? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. World Health Organization.