polio

noun

po·lio ˈpō-lē-ˌō

: an infectious disease especially of young children that is caused by the poliovirus

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.

The longstanding quest to eradicate polio is attracting a new injection of funds from donors around the world, as health leaders grapple with obstacles from ridding conflict areas of the virus to a shortage of vaccine.—

Betsy McKay

called also infantile paralysis, poliomyelitis

see post-polio syndrome

polio-like

ˈpō-lē-ˌō-ˌlīk

adjective

or poliolike

a polio-like disease

polio-like paralysis

Examples of polio in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Nigeria, where security issues have hampered polio vaccination efforts in parts of the country, has at least 2.3 million children who have never received a dose of polio vaccine, the report noted. —

Helen Branswell, STAT, 15 Sep. 2023 Same thing with McConnell who was a polio survivor. —

Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2023 Her cells were taken without her knowledge, spurring scientific breakthroughs and life-saving innovations such as for vaccines for polio and human papillomavirus, and even in research about the coronavirus. —

Jonathan Saltzman, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2023 Born in 1907 near Mexico City, Kahlo contracted polio as a child. —

Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 July 2023 McConnell, a polio survivor, has served in the Senate since 1985. —

Alan He, Nikole Killion, Jack Turman, CBS News, 26 July 2023 Topol noted that people who survived the 1918 influenza pandemic had an elevated risk of developing Parkinson’s disease years later, while some people who had polio in the first half of the 20th century developed a constellation of symptoms known as post-polio syndrome decades afterward. —

Amy Goldstein, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Aug. 2023 Limited health resources were also stretched thin by COVID-19 and a polio outbreak, the first in 30 years. —

Blanca Begert, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2023 McConnell, a survivor of childhood polio, has long walked slowly and cautiously. —

Cameron Joseph, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'polio.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

short for poliomyelitis

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of polio was in 1911

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Polio.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polio. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

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Kids Definition

polio

noun

po·lio ˈpō-lē-ˌō

: poliomyelitis

Medical Definition

polio

noun

po·lio ˈpō-lē-ˌō

: an infectious disease especially of young children that is caused by the poliovirus

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

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

called also infantile paralysis, poliomyelitis

see post-polio syndrome