Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person’s spinal cord, causing paralysis (can’t move parts of the body). There is no cure, but there are safe and effective v Key FactsPolio was eliminated in the United States in 1979. This means there is no ongoing spread of the disease for more than 12 months since then. We continue to vaccinate our nation’s children because the disease still occurs in other parts of the world and could easily be brought into the U.S.Most people infecte…