polio

American  

[poh-lee-oh] / ˈpoʊ liˌoʊ /

noun

1. poliomyelitis.

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polio British  

/ ˈpəʊlɪəʊ /

noun

1. short for poliomyelitis

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Etymology

Origin of polio

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; shortened form

Explanation

Polio is a disease that's been eliminated in most parts of the world, thanks to the polio vaccine. This is lucky, since there's no treatment for polio. Before scientists developed a way to prevent polio (which is actually short for poliomyelitis), it was a fairly common childhood illness that spread easily. While many people infected with polio had no symptoms at all, it did cause paralysis in some, and resulted in death for others. The U.S. experienced a polio epidemic in 1952 that left over 20,000 people paralyzed. Jonas Salk is credited with the first effective vaccine against polio, in the mid-1950s.