Polio immunization for children

Polio is a serious infectious disease that can cause breathing difficulty and disabling paralysis of the arms and legs. In some cases, polio is fatal. The polio vaccine effectively provides immunity to this serious illness. There are two types of polio vaccine:

The inactivated polio virus (IPV) vaccine contains a dead form of the poliovirus and is given in a shot.

The oral polio virus (OPV) vaccine contains the weakened poliovirus and is swallowed in liquid form. Rarely, the oral vaccine has been associated with a child, family member or close contact developing polio. To minimize this risk, the inactivated polio vaccine is used for the routine childhood polio vaccination. The oral vaccine no longer is manufactured or routinely available in the United States.

Recommendations/dose
Four immunizations of IPV are given at ages:
2 months
4 months
6 months to 18 months
4 years to 6 years
IPV may be combined with another immunization, such as DtaP (for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis), to reduce the number of shots a child receives at one time.


Effectiveness/booster
IPV is 99 percent effective. No additional doses are needed during childhood.

Side effects
Side effects are rare, but some children develop soreness at the injection site. Rarely, it's possible to have an allergic reaction to either the vaccine or one of its components.

Who should wait to get the vaccine?
Your child's doctor may decide to postpone the vaccine if your child has a moderate to severe acute illness.

Who shouldn't get the vaccine?
Your child shouldn't get the vaccine if he or she has had a severe allergic reaction to a prior dose of the vaccine or any of its components, including the medications neomycin, polymyxin B and streptomycin.