|
Even though polio has been eradicated
in the United States, it is still quite common in some parts of the
world, and “imported” cases can occur in unvaccinated children and
adults. Those who contract polio may become paralyzed or die from
progressive muscle paralysis. Prevention is the key to not
contracting polio, and the most effective preventive method is
inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).
|
Who should be
vaccinated for polio?
Children need to receive four doses of the polio vaccine at the
following ages:
- 2 months;
- 4 months;
- 6 to 18 months;
- and A booster
dose between the ages of 4 to 6 years.
Most adults should not need
the polio vaccine if they were immunized as children. However, three
groups of adults are at higher risk and should speak to their health
care provider about IPV:
- People who travel to countries where polio
has not been eradicated
- Laboratory workers who may handle the polio
virus
- Health care workers who may treat patients with polio
People
who have had a life-threatening allergic reaction to neomycin,
streptomycin or polymyxin B (components of the vaccine) should not
receive a polio vaccine injection.
Review the
vaccination
schedule for those who start late on a vaccine or are more than one
month behind.
|
When did the vaccine for polio
become available?
At one time, oral polio vaccine (OPV) was the recommended vaccine in
the United States. It was predominantly used between 1963 until
1998. Beginning in 1979, it was discovered that OPV caused between
six to eight cases of polio each year in children with weakened
immune systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now
recommend the IPV for immunization against polio to decrease the
already small risk associated with OPV immunization.
Before the creation of the polio
vaccine, thousands of people were impacted by this disease. During
the early 1950s, 20,000 people in the United States were infected
with the disease every year. Natural polio has been eliminated from
the United States as a result of widespread use of polio vaccine.
How does someone become infected
with polio?
Polio is a virus that is spread by person-to-person contact via
the stool of an infected person. For instance, it could be
transmitted while changing diapers or eating unwashed food in a
country where polio still occurs. How effective is the polio
vaccine? With three doses of the IPV, there is 99 percent protection
from polio. Are there any side effects of this vaccine? There are no
reports of any serious side effects from IPV, and the only reported
mild side effect is injection-site soreness.
Can you get polio from the vaccine?
You cannot contract polio from an IPV injection. How do I learn more
about this vaccine? The best person to ask about this or any vaccine
is your child’s pediatrician or your primary health care provider.
Your provider can answer your questions and give you more
information on the polio vaccine. Immunization is the best thing you
can do for your child and yourself to protect against polio.
Immunization is the best thing you can do for your child
and yourself to
protect against polio.
 
|
