Poliomyelitis, caused by poliovirus, is an infectious disease that can lead to flaccid paralysis due to the destruction of motor neurons in the spinal cord. The virus is transmitted through person-to-person contact, mucus, and infected feces, and is resilient to various environmental conditions. Preventive measures include the inactivated polio vaccine (Salk) and the oral polio vaccine (Sabin), with a recommended immunization schedule starting at 6 weeks of age.