What is Polio?

Polio is a highly contagious disease that is caused by a virus that primarily lives in the intestines and human feces

• The poliovirus is spread from person-to- person primarily through oral contact with the feces of an infected person (for example, by changing diapers); it can also spread through contaminated food or water, especially in areas with poor sanitation systems. There have also been cases that have been transmitted by direct oral contact or by droplet spread
• Once inside the body, the poliovirus multiplies in the throat and intestinal tract, then travels through the bloodstream where it infects the brain and spinal cord
• Paralysis occurs because the poliovirus attacks the nervous system and damages or destroys the nerves that send messages between the brain and the muscles