10 Symptoms of Polio

Polio is a disease that attacks the nervous system. It is a considerably infectious disease that mostly affected children under the age of 5, although other age groups can also be affected. Around 1 in 200 cases of polio will cause permanent paralysis, but thanks to recent world efforts against polio (including a vaccine), the extent of the disease has decreased by a large margin. In many regions, polio has even been eradicated, including Europe and North America.

1. Muscular Pain

Even though most polio patients don't report any symptoms (up to 99% of all cases are asymptomatic), those who do are likely to experience some degree of muscular pain. In many cases, the pain is due to the viral nature of the infection, causing the muscles to feel stiff. In the case of non-paralytic polio, symptoms tend to last from one to 10 days and are usually characterized as flu-like. You can expect to experience other symptoms, such as chills and vomiting. If you experience any of the symptoms, or if you have been to an area prone to polio, contact your doctor.