Skip to main content
Polio

Polio

Polio is a debilitating and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. This virus can affect the brain and spinal cord causing paralysis or even death. This makes polio very dangerous, especially for Michiganders who are unvaccinated or not up to date with their polio immunizations.

There is no cure for polio infection once you have it, but it is preventable through safe and effective vaccination for adults and children.  

Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV)— the only vaccine available in the U.S.—is safe and contains no live virus. It protects 99 to 100 percent of people against disease who receive all recommended doses.

Information about poliovirus monitoring and prevention in Michigan

Polio in Michigan

DRIVING IMMUNIZATIONS

MDHHS is working with local and national health authorities, healthcare providers, healthcare clinics, and community-based organizations, in areas of lower vaccine coverage, to ensure unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children and adults have access to polio vaccination. The inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), the only vaccine available in the U.S., protects 99 to 100 percent of people against disease who receive all recommended doses.

WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE

MDHHS is utilizing wastewater monitoring for polio — a tool to check for signs of the virus in sewage water in communities, as people infected with polio shed virus in their stool. This type of monitoring may be useful in Michigan communities with a risk of polio importation and low vaccination coverage. MDHHS has been collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify such communities in Michigan and evaluate them for potential polio wastewater monitoring. Once monitoring begins, wastewater results will be posted here.