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Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease, which
mainly affects young children. The virus is transmitted through
contaminated food and water, and multiplies in the intestine, from where
it can invade the nervous system.
Many infected people have no
symptoms, but do excrete the virus in their faeces, hence transmitting
infection to others.
Initial symptoms of polio include fever, fatigue, headache,
vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs.
In a small
proportion of cases, the disease causes paralysis, which is often
permanent. Polio can only be prevented by immunization. |
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