Polio (poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious viral disease passed from person to person. It invades the nervous system and can paralyze a person within hours. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, and neck stiffness. Polio mainly affects children under 3. Before the polio vaccine was introduced in 1955, tens of thousands of U.S. children per year developed paralytic polio. Only the inactive polio vaccine (IPV), made from dead polio virus, is used in the U.S. Starting at 2 months of age, all U.S. children receive four doses of IPV. Follow the links below to find WebMD's comprehensive coverage of polio, its history, the risk it poses, preventive vaccines, and much more.
Vaccines for Preteens and Teens
Find out what vaccinations are recommended for your preteen and teenager..
Polio Vaccine (IPV): When to Get Vaccinated
WebMD explains why the polio vaccine (IPV) is important, who should get it and when, and possible risks and side effects.
FAQ: Children's Vaccines
WebMD provides answers to common questions about children's vaccines, including when they should be given and possible side effects.
Spinal Cord Injury and Pain
Spinal cord injuries can affect the major bundle of nerves carrying signals to and from the brain to the rest of the body. Learn more.
Child Vaccines: Some Parents Ill at Ease
Does the private right of parents to not vaccinate their kids trump the greater public good?
Get an 'A' in Vaccines
Vaccines have proved so successful in eliminating their target diseases that some parents of school-aged children have gotten a bit lax about completing the complicated battery of injections.
The 10 Most Important Drugs
These breakthrough drugs made medicine modern.