polio
noun
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Definition of polio
Note: Individuals infected with the poliovirus are often asymptomatic. In approximately 25% of cases, polio presents as a mild to moderate illness marked by headache, fever, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. Polio affects the central nervous system only infrequently with inflammation and sometimes destruction of the motor neurons in the gray matter of the spinal cord and brain stem. Central nervous system involvement results in temporary or permanent muscle weakness or motor paralysis especially of the limbs and typically the legs. Polio may become life-threatening when paralysis affects the muscles involved in breathing and swallowing.
And the dreaded disease polio was virtually eliminated in 1955 when the Salk_vaccine was approved for public use.— Mary Beth Norton et al. Polio is endemic in only four countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan and regions of Nigeria and India …— Donald G. McNeil Jr.— called also infantile paralysis, poliomyelitis
— see post-polio syndromeKeep scrolling for more
Other Words from polio
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or poliolike
adjective
Examples of polio in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As the name implies, the old hospital was for convalescent children only — children who were recovering from the effects of polio and other diseases no longer active, or from injuries. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Children’s Hospital opened in Kearny Mesa 65 years ago," 20 Aug. 2019 An army engineer felled by polio in his twenties, my father returned to work for the government after years of grueling recovery and physical therapy. — David A. Taylor, Smithsonian, "From the Family Station Wagon to the Apollo Lunar Rover, My Dad’s Engineering Talent Had No Limits," 9 July 2019 Just three decades ago in 1988, there were an estimated 350,000 new cases of polio in 125 countries. — Ved Nanda, The Denver Post, "Nanda: WHO, Rotary Clubs have made the world a healthier place," 27 June 2019 Rat bites were once a significant enough public health threat to prompt Johns Hopkins research on the spread of polio and rabies. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore has fewer rats than D.C., and other important facts about the city’s long history fighting rodents," 30 July 2019 Many others who have tried Cyberdyne products haven’t seen such breakthrough results, but Sankai believes his robotic suits could be effective in restoring motor functions in patients with such crippling diseases as muscular dystrophy and polio. — Los Angeles Times, "Desperate for workers, aging Japan turns to robots for healthcare," 25 July 2019 Previous emergencies were declared for the devastating 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa that killed more than 11,000 people, the emergence of Zika in the Americas, the swine flu pandemic and polio. — Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY, "Global health emergency declared over deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo," 18 July 2019 There's a new government warning about acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, a serious polio-like illness that mainly strikes young children. — Victoria Albert, CBS News, "AFM still a "bit of a mystery" amid peak season for polio-like illness," 10 July 2019 Previously, the three vaccines that were mandatory—diphtheria, tetanus, and polio—had good immunization rates of 95% or higher. — Alex Whiting, Quartz, "How France is convincing its citizens to get vaccinated," 26 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'polio.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for polio
polio
noun
English Language Learners Definition of polio
See the full definition for polio in the English Language Learners Dictionary
polio
noun
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Kids Definition of polio
polio
noun
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Medical Definition of polio
Note: Individuals infected with the poliovirus are often asymptomatic. In approximately 25% of cases, polio presents as a mild to moderate illness marked by headache, fever, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. Polio affects the central nervous system only infrequently with inflammation and sometimes destruction of the motor neurons in the gray matter of the spinal cord and brain stem. Central nervous system involvement results in temporary or permanent muscle weakness or flaccid paralysis of muscles especially of the limbs and typically the legs. Polio may become life-threatening when paralysis affects the muscles involved in breathing and swallowing.
Thanks to the Salk and Sabin vaccines, the specter of crippling polio that once made summers an apprehensive time for Americans has long since passed. — People Weekly, 17 Sept. 1984 While the last case of naturally occurring polio in the United States was in 1979, the disease remains prevalent in other areas of the world.— Evan Johnson, The Addison County (Vermont) Independent, 21 Aug. 2014— called also infantile paralysis, poliomyelitis
— see post-polio syndromeKeep scrolling for more