New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Reference Terms
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Polio

Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is a virally induced infectious disease which spreads via the fecal-oral route. It may proceed to the blood stream and into the central nervous system causing muscle weakness and often paralysis. Polio is a communicable disease which is categorized as a disease of civilization. Polio spreads through human-to-human contact, usually entering the body through the mouth due to fecally contaminated water or food (fecal-oral transmission). The incubation period of polio, from the time of first exposure to first symptoms, ranges from three to 35 days. During the late 1940's and early 1950's, a research group headed by Dr. John Enders at Boston's Children's Hospital successfuly cultivated the polio virus in human tissue. This highly significant breakthrough ultimately allowed for the development of vaccines against polio.

Related Stories
 


Health & Medicine News

May 9, 2026

A new study shows that listening to your own favorite workout music can dramatically boost endurance. Cyclists exercising with self-selected songs lasted nearly 20% longer than when riding in silence, yet they didn’t feel more exhausted at the ...
Scientists studying axolotls, zebrafish, and mice have uncovered a shared set of genes that may one day help humans regrow lost limbs. By identifying powerful “SP genes” involved in regeneration, ...
Scientists have uncovered a surprising secret hidden inside fat cells that could reshape how we think about obesity and metabolic disease. A protein called HSL, long believed to simply release stored fat when the body needs energy, turns out to have ...
A common constipation drug may have unexpectedly unlocked a new way to slow chronic kidney disease — a condition that affects millions and often leads to dialysis. In a clinical trial involving 150 patients, researchers found that lubiprostone, a ...
Scientists have uncovered a surprising way to influence the bacteria living in our mouths — not by killing them, but by interrupting how they “talk” to each other. Researchers found that dental ...
Beneath the beauty of coral reefs lies a hidden universe of microbes unlike anything scientists expected. Each coral species supports its own specialized microbial partners, many of which have never ...
Many cancer patients turn to biotin supplements hoping to restore hair lost during treatment, but experts warn the popular vitamin may do more harm than good. While biotin is often marketed for stronger hair and nails, there’s little evidence it ...
A little-known tree from Brazil’s Atlantic Forest may hold a surprising weapon against COVID-19. Researchers discovered that compounds called galloylquinic acids, extracted from its leaves, can attack SARS-CoV-2 on multiple fronts—blocking the ...
Eating eggs might do more than just start your day—it could help protect your brain. Researchers found that people 65 and older who eat eggs regularly have a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, with daily or near-daily ...
Researchers have created a next-generation obesity drug that works like a “Trojan horse,” using GLP-1/GIP signals to slip a powerful metabolic enhancer directly into target cells. In mice, it outperformed existing treatments—curbing appetite, ...
Some people taking Ozempic-like diabetes drugs may be getting dramatically better results for a surprising reason: why they overeat in the first place. A year-long study in Japan found that people who tend to eat because tempting food looks or ...
Aging doesn’t just add fat—it redistributes it in risky ways, pushing more into the abdomen where it can harm health. Scientists found that testosterone plays a key role in this shift. In older women recovering from hip fractures, a testosterone ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:56 pm ET