polio

/'pouliou/

Thân thiện

A child receives a polio vaccine at a community health clinic.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • An acute viral disease: Polio is a serious infectious disease caused by the poliovirus.
   • Characterized by inflammation of nerve cells: The virus specifically attacks and inflames nerve cells (motor neurons) in the brain stem and spinal cord.
   • Can lead to paralysis: This damage to the nervous system can result in muscle weakness and permanent paralysis.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The development of the polio vaccine was a major medical breakthrough.
  • Before widespread vaccination, polio outbreaks caused fear in many communities.
  • Some survivors of polio experience post-polio syndrome later in life.

Advanced Usage

• "Polio eradication": The global public health goal to permanently eliminate the disease.
  • Global polio eradication efforts have been largely successful.
• "Polio survivor": A person who contracted and lived through the disease.
  • The polio survivor used a wheelchair due to paralysis in his legs.

Variants and Related Words

• Poliomyelitis (n): The full medical name for the disease "polio."
  • Poliomyelitis is the target of a major World Health Organization initiative.
• Poliovirus (n): The virus that causes the disease.
  • The poliovirus is highly contagious and spreads through contaminated water or food.

Synonyms

• Infantile paralysis: An older, now less common term for polio, referring to its frequent occurrence in children.
• Poliomyelitis: The formal medical term.

Related Phrases

• To contract polio: To become infected with the poliovirus.
  • He contracted polio as a child in the 1950s.
• Polio vaccine: The immunization that prevents the disease.
  • Children receive the polio vaccine as part of their routine immunizations.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an acute viral disease marked by inflammation of nerve cells of the brain stem and spinal cord

Từ đồng nghĩa

• poliomyelitis
• infantile paralysis
• acute anterior poliomyelitis