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In addition to a distinct definition of Polio, it's crucial to recognize how the terrible epidemic spread. The virus was easily spread from one person to another and was mainly extended by "fecal-hand-oral transmission" (Drucker and Jubelt). Factors that effected the transmission of the virus were immunity, the size of the family, cleanliness, weather, season, and where the virus was located geographically. Polio began infecting whole families by infecting the babies and toddlers, then would quickly spread to the rest of the family members in less than a week. During the great United States epidemic, the disease spread during the summer months, when outside activity and social interaction were at a peak. Swimming pools, some schools, and other breeding grounds for the disease were temporarily closed to prevent the infection from spreading (PICO). .
What are the effects of Polio? Polio symptoms included headaches and vomiting. Victims would often experience muscle pain and muscle stiffness, due to the disease's effect on the nervous stem. Those infected would often complain of a fever, tiredness, and weakness in the limbs and lack of strength in the diaphragm. These conditions were terrible to endure, especially since they mostly affected children. However, a sick child with polio would be lucky to endure such ailments as polio took the lives of many of its sufferers. These effects are from the virus causing severe damage along the spinal cord. Before more information was known on polio, it was commonly known as infantile paralysis, because it was thought to only affect young children. As more was discovered, the medical title, poliomyelitis, was given to the virus in the mid-1900s. .
With a clear idea of what the disease consists of, the disease must be placed in the context the United State's history. Polio has most likely affected people for all of humankind's history. Drawings of individuals, clearly suffering from polio, have been discovered on cave wall drawings, as well as ancient Egyptian stone engravings over 3,000 years old.
