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Polio Facts & Worksheets

The polio virus is an infectious disease that causes poliomyelitis, also called polio.

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The polio virus is an infectious disease that causes poliomyelitis, also called polio. Most cases (about 70%) are asymptomatic; moderate symptoms like fever and sore throat are possible; a small percentage of patients develop more severe symptoms like headache, stiff neck, and paresthesia.

See the fact file below for more information on Polio, or you can download our 26-page Polio worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

  • Withered and malformed limbs found on Egyptian mummies provide conclusive proof that the first recorded case of poliomyelitis happened over 6,000 years ago. In the 20th century, polio was widespread worldwide and in the United States, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1950s, a vaccination finally became obtainable.
  • Since prehistoric times, humans have been aware of the ravages of polio. Egyptian artwork and carvings show young children with canes and seemingly healthy people with withered limbs.
  • The English physician Michael Underwood gave the earliest clinical description of polio in 1789, describing it as “a debility of the lower extremities.” 
  • It became known as Heine-Medin sickness thanks to the research done by doctors Jakob Heine in 1840 and Karl Oskar Medin in 1890.
  • As a result of the illness’ propensity to strike youngsters, it was later referred to as infantile paralysis.
  • Before the 20th century, infants younger than six months of age were infrequently infected with polio; most cases affected children between the ages of six months and four years. As a result of ongoing exposure to the virus due to poor sanitation at the time, the population’s natural immunity was strengthened.
  • Community sanitation in wealthy nations improved throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with better sewage disposal and clean water sources. These advancements considerably increased the ratio of children and adults critical of paralytic polio infection by diminishing childhood exposure to the disease and immunity.
  • Around 1900, small localized paralytic polio epidemics started in Europe and the US. During the first part of the 20th century, outbreaks in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand grew to pandemic proportions. By 1950, children aged five to nine years old, when the risk of paralysis is greater, had surpassed newborns as the peak age incidence of paralytic poliomyelitis in the US; almost one-third of documented cases were people over the age of 15.

SYMPTOMS AND RISK

  • Polio or poliomyelitis is a highly contagious and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. It attacks the neurological system and can quickly result in complete paralysis. 
  • The virus replicates in the intestine and is communicated from person to person primarily by the fecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a shared vehicle (such as contaminated water or food).
  • The first signs and symptoms include fever, exhaustion, headache, nausea, stiff neck, and limb pain. Infections cause irreversible paralysis in one in 200 people (usually in the legs); 5-10% of paralyzed persons pass away when their breathing muscles are paralyzed.
  • It is possible for an infected person to spread the virus to others just before and up to 2 weeks after symptoms appear. Even if they have no symptoms, a person can still pass the virus on and make others sick.
  • The majority of poliovirus infections in people with healthy immune systems are asymptomatic. Minor symptoms, such as a sore throat and a low temperature, are produced by the disease in around 25% of cases. These symptoms are transient, and full recovery takes place in one to two weeks.
  • Nonparalytic aseptic meningitis, which typically affects patients with central nervous system involvement, manifests as headache, neck, back, abdomen, and extremities pain, fever, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, and irritability. Acute flaccid paralysis, which causes the muscles to become weak, floppy, and poorly controlled before fully paralyzed, affects one to five out of every 1000 cases.

CAUSES AND TRANSMISSION

  • Infection with the poliovirus, a member of the genus Enterovirus, results in poliomyelitis (PV). These RNA viruses colonize the gastrointestinal tract, in particular, the oropharynx and gut. 
  • With a more typical range of six to twenty days, the incubation period (from the onset of the first signs and symptoms) spans three to 35 days.
  • Other than humans, no other creature is affected by PV. Its structure is relatively straightforward, consisting of a single (+) sense RNA genome encased in a protein shell known as a capsid.
  • Both the oral-oral (oropharyngeal source) and fecal-oral (intestinal origin) modes of transmission for poliomyelitis are highly infectious. Wild polioviruses can infect almost the entire human population in regions where they are prevalent. 
  • In temperate climates, it is seasonal, with the summer and falls seeing the highest transmission rates. In tropical regions, these seasonal variations are much less noticeable.
  • The incubation period, also known as the interval between first exposure and the onset of symptoms, typically lasts between 6 and 20 days, with a maximum range of 3 to 35 days. Several weeks after the initial infection, virus particles are expelled in the feces. 
  • Ingesting tainted food or drink is the primary way the disease spreads via the fecal-oral pathway. There are times when HIV is spread orally to orally, a manner that is particularly noticeable in places with adequate cleanliness and hygiene.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

  • The pharynx and intestinal mucosa are the first cells the poliovirus comes into touch with after entering the body through the mouth. 
  • It enters the cell by attaching to an immunoglobulin-like receptor on the cell membrane called CD155, also referred to as the poliovirus receptor.

PARALYTIC POLIO

  • It occurs when the poliovirus infects your spinal cord and brain. The muscles that allow you to breathe, speak, swallow, and move your limbs can become paralyzed by it. Depending on which parts of your body are affected, it is known as spinal polio or bulbar polio. Together, spinal and bulbar polio can manifest (bulbospinal polio). Only 1% of polio survivors develop paralytic poliomyelitis.

SPINAL POLIO

  • When the lower or higher portions of the spinal cord are afflicted, spinal poliomyelitis, which results in lower limb paralysis, or bulbar poliomyelitis, which affects the breathing centers, can happen.
  • When nerve cells are destroyed, the brain and spinal cord can no longer send signals to the muscles, causing them to atrophy and eventually become paralyzed. Without nerve stimulation, the muscles become weak, floppy, and poorly controlled.

BULBAR POLIO

  • A type of paralytic poliomyelitis that affects neurons in the medulla oblongata in the brain stem. Impaired breathing, hypertension, changes in vasomotor control, and dysphagia are clinical characteristics. 
  • Due to spinal cord involvement, the limbs and trunk typically become weaker and atrophy.

PREVENTION

PASSIVE IMMUNIZATION

  • The gamma globulin component of polio survivors’ blood plasma was purified in 1950 by William Hammon at the University of Pittsburgh. 
  • According to Hammon, gamma globulin, which contains anti-poliovirus antibodies, may be used to stop poliovirus infection, prevent illness, and lessen the severity of the disease in other polio patients. 
  • A significant clinical trial’s positive findings showed that gamma globulin is roughly 80% effective at preventing the onset of paralytic poliomyelitis.

VACCINES

  • Two vaccination kinds are utilized globally to prevent polio. Both forms effectively shield people from sickness and induce immunity against polio.
  • The virologist Hilary Koprowski created the first potential polio vaccine using one serotype of a live but attenuated (weakened) virus. On February 27, 1950, an eight-year-old child received the Koprowski prototype vaccination.
  • In 1952, Jonas Salk at the University of Pittsburgh discovered the second poliovirus vaccine, which was made public on April 12, 1955. 
  • The Salk vaccination, also known as the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), is based on a poliovirus that has been chemically inactivated with formalin and cultured in a particular type of monkey kidney tissue culture (vero cell line).

Polio Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Polio across 26 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Polio. The Polio virus is an infectious disease that causes poliomyelitis, also called Polio.

Polio Worksheets
Polio Worksheets
Polio Worksheets

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Polio Facts
  2. Vocabulary
  3. True or False?
  4. Poliomyelitis
  5. What am I?
  6. Helping One Another
  7. Stay Informed!
  8. Salk Vaccine
  9. Polio Survivor
  10. Polio What?
  11. World Polio Day

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Polio?

Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious viral disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus is transmitted through contaminated food, water, or direct contact with an infected person’s feces or saliva. Polio primarily affects young children and can cause paralysis and sometimes death.

What are the symptoms of polio?

Most people who are infected with the poliovirus do not show any symptoms and recover fully. However, in some cases, the virus can cause mild symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, and fatigue. In more severe cases, the virus can attack the nerves that control muscle movement and cause paralysis, often in the legs.

How is polio prevented?

Polio can be prevented through vaccination. The polio vaccine is given as a series of doses to children, starting at two months of age. The vaccine has been highly effective in reducing the number of polio cases worldwide. Other measures to prevent polio include maintaining good hygiene and sanitation practices, especially in areas with poor sanitation.

Is there a cure for polio?

There is no cure for polio, but supportive care such as physical therapy, braces, and ventilation can help manage the symptoms of paralysis caused by the virus.

Is polio still a problem today?

While polio has been eradicated in most parts of the world, it still remains a problem in some countries, particularly in Africa and Asia. The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a global initiative to eradicate polio once and for all, but this effort has been hampered by challenges such as vaccine hesitancy and limited resources in some regions.

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Link will appear as Polio Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 16, 2023

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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