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About the Disease
Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious virus-caused disease. About one percent of those who contract polio will be paralyzed. Until a vaccine became available in the mid-1950's, polio was the leading cause of permanent disability in the U.S. Most cases of polio occur in children under six years of age.
Today, thanks to the polio vaccine, the disease has been eradicated in the United States. Worldwide, polio cases have decreased by more than 99% since 1988. | 
