Polio Symptoms

Common signs and symptoms of polio symptoms include fever, sore throat, and nausea. Symptoms usually appear 7 to 14 days after a person becomes infected with the poliovirus. Up to 95 percent of people who are infected with poliovirus will have no symptoms. However, people who are infected and do not have symptoms can still spread the poliovirus and cause others to develop polio.

Signs and Symptoms of Polio: An Overview

When a person becomes infected with poliovirus, the virus begins to multiply within the cells that line the back of the throat, nose, and intestines. Polio symptoms usually appear 7 to 14 days after a person becomes infected with the poliovirus. This period between polio transmission and the start of symptoms is called the "polio incubation period." The incubation period for polio can be as short as 4 days or as long as 35 days.
 
(Click Polio Incubation Period for more information about the incubation period for polio.)
 
Up to 95 percent of people who are infected with poliovirus will have no symptoms. However, people who are infected and do not have polio symptoms can still spread the poliovirus and cause others to develop polio.
 
If a person does develop symptoms, the symptoms can be categorized into one of three groups, which include:
 
  • Minor polio symptoms (also known as abortive poliomyelitis)
  • Aseptic meningitis
  • Paralytic poliomyelitis.
 
Minor Symptoms
About 4 to 8 percent of people who are infected with the poliovirus will develop minor symptoms. Minor symptoms of polio can include:
 
 
People who develop minor symptoms of polio develop no paralysis or other serious symptoms. These symptoms last for two to three days with complete recovery.
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
 
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