What Are the Effects of Polio Virus?

Until the appearance of the Salk vaccine in 1955 and the Sabin vaccine in 1962, polio was a rapidly spreading disease. Vaccination efforts have significantly slowed the spread of this disease, but if contracted the effects of polio include paralysis, labored breathing and occasional death.

Polio

• Polio is an extremely contagious viral disease that's transmitted through fecal matter. Transmission occurs through contact with contaminated water, food or people. The symptoms and severity of this disease can vary and depend on the type of polio infection.

Non-Paralytic Polio

• Non-paralytic polio produces effects within the human body similar to a mild flu. This includes headache, fever, sore throat, vomiting, fatigue, pain, meningitis and muscle spasms.

Paralytic Polio

• According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of paralytic polio may mimic non-paralytic polio but also include loss of reflexes, severe muscle aches and floppy limbs. Paralytic polio may attack the spinal cord, brain stem or both, causing paralysis and affecting breathing and heart function.

Late Polio Effects

• Sometimes survivors of polio experience new symptoms later in life. This may include fatigue, difficulty breathing or swallowing, muscles or joint pain and muscle weakness.

Prevention

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccination of all children with inactivated poliovirus vaccine. Immunization is the only method for eradicating this disease.