Definition of "poliomyelitis" [poliomyelitis]

• A highly infectious viral disease that chiefly affects children and, in its acute forms, causes inflammation of motor neurons of the spinal cord and brainstem, leading to paralysis, muscular atrophy, and often deformity. Through vaccination, the disease is preventable. Also called infantile paralysis. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The name poliomyelitis derives from the Greek words"
• "Worst of all, many virus diseases are on the increase, a tendency particularly evident in poliomyelitis."
• "Polio also called poliomyelitis is highly infectious and affects the nervous system, sometimes resulting in paralysis."