Poliovirus and poliomyelitis vaccines: a review

This paper discusses poliomyelitis, a viral disease with serious sequelae, that remains a health problem in Saudi Arabia. The points discussed are related to aetiology, isolation of the viral agent, laboratory diagnosis, epidemiology and clinical manifestations of poliomyelitis. Special emphasis is placed on the types of poliomyelitis vaccines, their advantages and disadvantages. The purpose of this article is to call attention to this important disease and to stress the need for conducting more studies in order to eradicate this virus from our community