Per CDC:
Polio was once one of the most feared diseases in the United States. Thanks to the polio vaccine, wild poliovirus has been eliminated in this country. The best way to keep people safe is through vaccination. This maintains a high level of protection (also called immunity) in the population.
Key points
Vaccination has helped eliminate wild poliovirus in the United States.
Maintaining high immunity (protection) against polio through vaccination is the best way to continue keeping people safe from polio.
The polio vaccine is safe and effective
Who is at risk
Anyone who is not up to date with their polio vaccines is at risk of getting polio.
Polio has been eliminated from most of the world, but the disease still occurs in other parts of the world. It only takes one person with polio traveling from another country to bring polio into the United States.
How it spreads
You can spread the virus for days!
An infected person can spread the virus to others immediately before and up to 2 weeks after symptoms appear. People who don't have symptoms can still pass the virus to others and make them sick.
Poliovirus is very contagious.
Poliovirus only infects people, entering the body through the mouth. It lives in an infected person's throat and intestines and spreads through person-to-person contact. It can also contaminate food and water in unsanitary conditions.
You can get polio from:
Contact with the feces (poop) of an infected person
Droplets from a sneeze or cough of an infected person (less common)
For example, you can get polio if you:
Eat raw or undercooked food or drink water or other drinks that are contaminated with the feces of an infected person.
Put a contaminated object such as a toy in your mouth.
Touch a contaminated object and put your fingers in your mouth.
Have close contact with a person sick with polio, for example when caring for them.
To learn more visit: About Polio in the United States | Polio | CDC
