Poliomyelitis, paralytic is a severe infectious disease caused by the poliovirus, an enterovirus. It primarily affects young children and can lead to permanent muscle paralysis. While once a global scourge, it is now rare in most parts of the world due to widespread vaccination.
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Poliomyelitis has afflicted humans for millennia, with evidence found in ancient Egyptian mummies. The disease surged in epidemics in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, causing widespread panic due to its paralytic effects. The development of effective vaccines in the 1950s by Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin revolutionized public health, leading to a dramatic decline in cases and near-eradication efforts globally.
Poliomyelitis primarily spreads through the fecal-oral route, meaning the virus is shed in the feces of an infected person and then ingested by another. This can occur through contaminated food or water, or direct contact with feces from an infected person. Less commonly, it can spread via the oral-oral route (e.g., through droplets from a cough or sneeze).
Contagious Period: Varies by disease
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Routine public health surveillance has detected two distinct strains of polio virus in Cape Town's wastewater.
Routine public health surveillance has detected two distinct strains of polio virus in Cape Town's wastewater, prompting an increase in monitoring but no cause for public alarm.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) informed the Department of Health after identifying the VDPV3 and nOPV2-L strains during proactive, population-wide disease tracking at a local wastewater
📰 11 news sources reporting on this story.
Australia was declared free from polio in 2000. The last case of poliomyelitis caused by locally acquired wild poliovirus in Australia was in 1972. In April 2026, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) was detected in wastewater in Perth, Western Australia, thought to be from a traveler from affected region who may be shedding the virus.
Source: BEACON - View Full Report
ISLAMABAD: While 27 million children out of targeted 45m have been vaccinated against polio during the ongoing immunisation drive across the country, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) has expressed deep concern and condemned three attacks on security personnel escorting polio teams in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
In separate incidents in Bannu, Hangu and Nasirabad, polio teams and accompanying security personnel were targeted by unidentified militants. In Nasirabad, a police
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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed the government's resolve to eradicate polio from the country, noting encouraging progress as only one case has been reported so far in 2026
Presiding over a review meeting on polio eradication, the prime minister appreciated efforts of anti-polio teams working across the country and reiterated that eliminating the disease remains a national priority, a Prime Minister's Office news release said.
PM Shehbaz stressed the need for sus
📰 16 news sources reporting on this story.
A poliovirus strain has been detected in Australian wastewater for the first time, triggering a surge in testing for the debilitating disease.
Poliovirus was found in a wastewater sample taken from a Perth wastewater catchment last month, as part of the national polio surveillance.
In response, the Western Australian Government has increased testing to weekly at the inner city Subiaco wastewater plant for the next six months.
WA Health will also work with clinicians to strengthen existing syst
📰 12 news sources reporting on this story.
Islamabad, May 1 (PTI) Pakistan reported two polio cases on Friday, taking the tally of infections for the ongoing year to three and serving a blow to the national efforts to eradicate the crippling disease.
The new cases were detected in Bannu and North Waziristan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the Taliban militants often target officials administering anti-polio vaccines to the children.
"Pakistan's National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) has confirm
📰 13 news sources reporting on this story.
Peshawar, Apr 13 (PTI) A police constable was killed and four other personnel were injured after unidentified militants opened fire on a security contingent deployed to protect a polio vaccination team in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, officials said.
The incident took place in the Chapri Waziran area under the jurisdiction of Thall police station in Hangue district on the first day of a province-wide anti-polio campaign.
According to a statement issued by the district police
📰 36 news sources reporting on this story.
The Kwara State Government has reaffirmed its resolve to strengthen immunisation efforts as part of a broader strategy to combat polio and other preventable childhood diseases across the state.
The Deputy Governor, Kayode Alabi, made this known in Ilorin, the state capital, on Thursday during a review meeting on the Abuja Commitment, where stakeholders, including local government chairmen, traditional rulers, and development partners, assessed progress on routine immunisation.
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Stakeholders in Gombe State have called for increased media support to boost awareness and acceptance of immunisation programmes ahead of the May round of the Supplemental Immunisation Plus Days.
The call was made on Thursday during a media engagement with journalists and social media influencers organised by the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency in collaboration with partners, including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, World Health Organisation and United Na
📰 14 news sources reporting on this story.
KARACHI: Five environmental samples have recently tested positive for the poliovirus in the city, a top health department official said on Wednesday at a consultation held ahead of an upcoming polio booster dose campaign, emphasising the need for a strengthened response.
The campaign targeting children up to 10 years of age in 89 union committees of Karachi is scheduled for May 12-25.
The session organised at the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) brought together senior pa
📰 14 news sources reporting on this story.
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View WHO Resources →Disease information on Virus Watcher is reviewed by our Chief Epidemiologist, a former CDC lead analyst for FluSight forecasting. Outbreak data is aggregated from verified sources including BEACON, ProMED, WHO, CDC, and 50+ national health agencies. This information is for educational purposes and should not replace professional medical advice.
Last reviewed: 2026-06-03
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