Post Polio Victims

[merahu]

Can an adult, who has been infected with polio, infect others ?

[caregiver222]

The answer is yes.

But that is a very qualified yes. Polio has almost been eliminated in the United States. There is a documented case of a man on Staten Island who contracted polio from handling the diapers of one of his children, who has received a live polio vaccine during the 1950's. He instituted a tort action and recovered damages from the company that manufactured the vaccine.

In general this is very unlikely, and you should not fear working with or being around a polio survivor.

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. Poliovirus resides in the intestinal tract and mucus in nose and throat. Transmission occurs through contact with stool of infected person through fecooral transmission. Less frequently, polio transmission occurs through contact with infected respiratory secretions or saliva, which is oral-oral transmission. Eating food or drinking liquids contaminated with poliovirus, touching surfaces or objects contaminated with poliovirus then putting the contaminated hand into mouth. Less commonly through respiratory droplets or saliva of the infected man. Hope this helps. Take care.