Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a virus that causes paralysis in those who contract the disease. The virus enters the body through the mouth and then enters the intestinal lining. It then can proceed to the blood stream and into the central nervous system, damaging nerve endings, leading to paralysis and muscle weakness.

Those who were stricken with polio in their adolescence and have survived sometimes later develop post-polio syndrome which includes symptoms such as muscle weakness.

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