Digital Twins: The Future of Post-Polio Care?

Although vaccination has brought poliomyelitis close to global eradication, millions of survivors continue to experience lifelong neurological complications. In an article published in Neurological Sciences in January 2026, Siddiqui and Khan explore how digital twin technology could improve long-term management and rehabilitation in polio survivors.

Poliovirus damages motor neurons in the spinal cord and sometimes the brainstem, resulting in permanent neuromuscular impairment. Decades after infection, some survivors develop post-polio syndrome (PPS), characterised by progressive muscle weakness, fatigue, pain, cold intolerance and respiratory difficulties.