Poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5%–10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

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http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Polio/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/polioandpostpoliosyndrome.html