Most people will not have any symptoms. Some will develop flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, sore throat, nausea, headache and stomachache, which may last for 2-5 days and go away on their own. But in very few individuals, polio can cause serious symptoms, including paresthesia (pins-and-needles sensation in the legs), meningitis (infection of the covering of the brain and spinal cord), and rapid-onset paralysis of the arms, legs, or both. Some infected children who were asymptomatic or had only mild illness can later on develop new-onset muscle weakness and even paralysis in adult life. This is called post-polio syndrome.

There is no treatment against the poliovirus itself. Treatment is thus geared toward addressing the symptoms (e.g. giving paracetamol for fever, bed rest for fatigue).

Because polio is untreatable, it is important to maintain home and public sanitation, and practice good hygiene at home to avoid infections or creating an environment for the virus to grow and be transmitted. Vaccination is the surest way to prevent infection. Vaccines against polio are widely available and should be given as prescribed by physicians (i.e. as early as childhood).