Polio is an infectious disease caused by viruses. · Polio has been traced back almost 6,000 years. · Polio is caused by person-to-person transmission of polio ...FactsPoliofactsWhatIsWhatispolio?Whatisthehistoryofpolio?Symptoms/SignsWhatarepoliosymptomsandsigns?VaccineIsitpossibletopreventpolio?Isthereapoliovaccine?CausesWhatcausespolio?ContagiousWhatareriskfactorsforpolio?Howdoespoliospread?DiagnosisHowdophysiciansdiagnosepolio?TreatmentWhatisthetreatmentforpolio?PrognosisWhatistheprognosisofpolio?NewPolio-likeVirusPolio-likeillnessCenterWhatIsPolio?SymptomsandVaccineCenterCommentsPatientComments:Polio--PatientExperiencePoliofactsPictureofaPolioVaccineBottlePolioisaninfectiousdiseasecausedbyviruses.Thesymptomsmayrangefromnonetoparalysisanddeath.Poliohasbeentracedbackalmost6,000years.Greatstrideshavebeenmadeinpreventingthisdisease.Polioiscausedbyperson-to-persontransmissionofpolioviruses(enteroviruses,threemaintypes).Notreceivingthepoliovaccineisthehighestriskfactorforgettinginfectedwithpoliovirus.Thevirusesareonlyspreadhumantohumanbydirectandindirectcontact.Symptomsandsignsofpoliovaryfromnosymptomstolimbdeformities,paralysis,anddeath.Diagnosisofpolioisbasedonthepatient'shistory,physicalexam,andongoingsymptoms.Thevirusmaybeisolatedfromthepatient'stissuestoconfirmthediagnosis.Thereisnocureforpolio;treatmentismainlysupportiveandisaimedatlimitingorreducingthepatient'ssymptoms.Formostpatients,theprognosisisgoodbecausetherearefewornosymptoms;however,theprognosisdeclinesrapidlyassomepatientsdevelopmoreseveresymptomssuchaslimbdeformity,paralysis,difficultybreathing,and/orinabilitytoswallowfoods.Itispossibletopreventpoliobyvaccination;itmaybepossibletoeradicatepolio.Thereareatleasttwotypesofpoliovaccine(intramuscularinjectionororalattenuatedlivevaccine),andbothtypesareeffectiveinpreventingpolio.Apolio-likeillnesshasrecentlybeendiscoveredinCaliforniainchildrenthatproducesparalysislikethatseeninsomepoliopatients.Thisillnessisnotpolio,accordingtodoctorstreatingthechildren.Non-