Definition

A serious viral illness that mainly affects children and can cause paralysis and muscle weakness. It is preventable with vaccines and is also known as infantile paralysis.

Example

Vaccination has significantly reduced the number of cases of poliomyelitis worldwide.

Conversation

Have you heard about the recent cases of poliomyelitis reported in some countries?

Yeah, it's really concerning, especially for children.

I read that vaccination can prevent poliomyelitis, which is good news.

Absolutely, it's crucial for public health to keep those numbers down.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Poliomyelitis is formed from "poli" (from Greek "polios", meaning gray) and "myelitis" (from Greek "myelos", meaning marrow or spinal cord, and "itis", meaning inflammation). The term refers to the inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord, which is associated with the disease.

Memory Tip

Think of 'gray' ('poli') referring to the gray matter in the spinal cord, and 'myelitis' indicating inflammation of the spinal cord. This helps you remember that poliomyelitis is an inflammation of the gray matter in the spinal cord.

Visually Confused Words