Conditions
Poliomyelitis
Also Known As Polio; Infantile Paralysis
Viral Disease
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An acute viral infection caused by poliovirus that can invade the nervous system and cause irreversible paralysis within hours, historically striking children in large epidemics through the first half of the twentieth century. The British physician Michael Underwood gave the first clear clinical description in 1789; the poliovirus itself was identified in 1908 by Karl Landsteiner and Erwin Popper. Jonas Salk's inactivated vaccine, introduced in 1955, and Albert Sabin's oral live vaccine, introduced in 1961, made near-global elimination achievable, and the disease is now endemic in only a small number of countries, though not yet certified eradicated.
Facts
Condition Class Causative Agent First DescribedMarks Michael Underwood's first clear clinical description; the poliovirus itself was not identified until 1908, by Karl Landsteiner and Erwin Popper. PrevalenceWild poliovirus cases fell from an estimated 350,000 in 1988 to a small number of reported cases in the early 2020s, according to World Health Organization and Global Polio Eradication Initiative data; the disease is not yet certified eradicated. 3 Disputed
First Described (Era)Possible depiction on an Egyptian stele, circa 1400 BCE. 2 An Egyptian stele from around 1400 BCE, depicting a man with a withered, shortened leg leaning on a staff, is widely, though not universally, interpreted by historians as an early depiction of the disease's after-effects; the identification is probable rather than certain. Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Treated By
Vaccination prevents infection rather than treating active disease; Salk's 1955 inactivated vaccine and Sabin's 1961 oral vaccine are the historically relevant instances recorded on this atlas under the general Vaccination entity.
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