90% of the time, polio does not cause any symptoms. But in an unlucky 10% of cases, the virus can cause paralysis. Paralysis can happen as quickly as within a few hours of infection. In the most severe cases, it can lead to death. This is because the virus can also affect the muscles that control breathing, and if the breathing muscles become paralysed, the child will suffocate and die.

 Polio Awareness Week: A Preventable Disease, But Only with Your Help - NICD