Polio News and Research

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Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. Naturally occurring polio was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979 and in the Western Hemisphere by 1991; however, worldwide efforts are continuing towards eradication of this contagious and devastating disease.

What still drives childhood vaccine gaps in the United States

A nationwide analysis of provider-verified NIS-Child data from 2010 to 2023 found that US childhood vaccination coverage remained generally high but was consistently shaped by social and structural factors such as maternal education, income, insurance, language, and region. The study also showed that coverage of the combined seven-vaccine series rose over time, yet persistent disparities remained, especially for vaccines such as influenza, hepatitis A, and rotavirus.

19 Apr 2026

Sudan accounts for the world’s largest ongoing humanitarian health crisis

After three years of war, Sudan now accounts for the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with 34 million people needing aid, 21 million lacking health services, and repeated attacks crippling a medical system already weakened by disease and hunger.

15 Apr 2026

Scientists create large library of mitochondrial DNA mutant models

Some of your most important life partners are the mitochondria that power all your cells. You and these little cellular powerhouses are in a 1.5-billion-year-old evolutionary relationship-but mitochondria brought some baggage.

6 Apr 2026

Global meningitis deaths remain high despite progress since 1990

In 2023, globally 259,000 people died from meningitis and 2.5 million people were infected with the disease, suggests a study published in The Lancet Neurology.

27 Mar 2026

Scientists map epigenetic changes across aging brain cells

Neurodegenerative diseases affect more than 57 million people globally. The incidence of these diseases, from Alzheimer's to Parkinson's to ALS and beyond, is expected to double every 20 years.

11 Mar 2026

New peptide fragments teach the gut to tolerate food

In little moments like when sipping coffee or licking an ice cream cone, it doesn't seem like your body is pulling off a biological miracle. But it is. That cookie is not you-yet when you put it in your mouth, your body is able to tolerate it and process it without any detriment to your health in a process called oral tolerance. How does the human body make that decision between tolerance and rejection?

9 Mar 2026

Med14 protein drives GLP-1 benefits in pancreatic beta cells

GLP-1s are building a reputation as "wonder drugs." First characterized for their ability to improve insulin release and treat diabetes, the drugs were later found to promote weight loss and improve cardiovascular health.

6 Mar 2026

This doctor-senator who backed RFK Jr. now faces a fight for his job — and his legacy

The ambitious liver doctor would go just about anywhere in his home state to give people the hepatitis B vaccine.

6 Mar 2026

Genetic inheritance and life experience leave distinct epigenetic marks in immune cells

The COVID-19 pandemic gave us tremendous perspective on how wildly symptoms and outcomes can vary between patients experiencing the same infection.

29 Jan 2026

Methionine: A dietary key to surviving infection

As soon as you are wounded-whether from grabbing a hot pan or contracting the flu-you begin a unique journey through variable symptoms toward either recovery or death.

22 Jan 2026

Age-tailored therapies needed for treating the young and old with sepsis

Dealing with an infection isn't as straightforward as simply killing the pathogen. The body also needs to carefully steer and monitor its immune response to prevent collateral damage.

14 Jan 2026

The CDC just sidelined these childhood vaccines. Here’s what they prevent.

The federal government has drastically scaled back the number of recommended childhood immunizations, sidelining six routine vaccines that have safeguarded millions from serious diseases, long-term disability, and death.

6 Jan 2026

Inside the FDA’s vaccine uproar

Six days after a senior FDA official sent a sweeping internal email claiming that covid vaccines had caused the deaths of "at least 10 children," 12 former FDA commissioners released an extraordinary warning in the Dec. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

19 Dec 2025

Whooping cough cases rise sharply across the United States

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a vaccination-preventable illness that has been on the rise in the United States. Following a several-year lull during the pandemic, cases of whooping cough rose sixfold in 2024 and remain high.

18 Dec 2025

Study reveals how viral social interactions shape resistance to antivirals

Interactions among viruses can help them succeed inside their hosts or impart vulnerabilities that make them easier to treat. Scientists are learning the ways viruses mingle inside the cells they infect, as well as the consequences of their socializing.

5 Dec 2025

They need a ventilator to stay alive. Getting one can be a nightmare.

On vacation in Mexico last year, Michael DiPlacido passed out twice while scuba diving and again in his hotel. Back in St. Louis, doctors diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, an incurable disease that often requires mechanical ventilation.

2 Dec 2025

Discovery of sequence-driven DNA methylation offers new path for epigenetic engineering

All the cells in an organism have the exact same genetic sequence. What differs across cell types is their epigenetics-meticulously placed chemical tags that influence which genes are expressed in each cell.

22 Nov 2025

What to know about the CDC’s baseless new guidance on autism

The rewriting of a page on the CDC's website to assert the false claim that vaccines may cause autism sparked a torrent of anger and anguish from doctors, scientists, and parents who say Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is wrecking the credibility of an agency they've long relied on for unbiased scientific evidence.

22 Nov 2025

Gut immune cells follow an atypical pathway to provide long-lasting antiviral protection

A new study led by University of Toronto researchers has shown that immune cells in the gut follow an atypical pathway to produce antibodies that provide long-term protection against viruses.

17 Nov 2025

Ending human bait practices in river blindness monitoring

New research shows that it's possible to end the practice of using people as 'human bait' to catch and test the blackflies that spread river blindness (onchocerciasis).

13 Nov 2025