Polio is a dangerous disease that’s been largely eliminated in the United States, thanks to the polio vaccine (aka the inactivated polio vaccine, or IPV). To stay safe and maintain immunity in your community, your child will need to get his first dose of the vaccine when he's 2 months old.
Learn more about what the polio vaccine protects against and why it's so important for your little one.
What is polio?
Polio (also called poliomyelitis) is a life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. This virus spreads mainly through contact with the stool of an infected person and, less commonly, droplets from a sneeze or cough.
Most people who get infected with poliovirus do not have any symptoms, but some will experience flu-like symptoms like a sore throat, fever, fatigue, nausea, headache, or stomach pain.
In rare cases, poliovirus infection can be serious, causing weakness or paralysis in the arms, legs or both. It can affect the muscles that help people breathe and sometimes cause meningitis, an infection of the spinal cord and/or the brain.[1]
"Polio was a disease that parents feared so much that they kept their children away from swimming pools and playgrounds, afraid of an invisible threat that could leave them paralyzed or struggling to breathe in an iron lung," says Florencia Segura, M.D., a pediatrician in Vienna, Virginia, fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board. "Thanks to vaccines, we have the power to ensure that no child has to experience that fear or the lifelong challenges that polio survivors have had to endure."
While the United States has been polio-free for more than 40 years, the disease is still occurring in other parts of the world. It would only take one traveler with polio from another country to bring the disease back to the U.S., which is why getting the vaccine is still so important.[2]
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What is the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)?
The polio vaccine protects your baby against polio, a disease that has led to paralysis in millions of children worldwide. The polio vaccine used in the U.S. contains three types of inactivated (killed) poliovirus.
Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. People can catch it when they’re in contact with infected stool from someone who has polio, as well as droplets from sneezes or coughs.
Thanks to the polio vaccine (IPV), polio has been eliminated in the United States. But it still circulates elsewhere in the world, and it would only take one traveler to bring back the virus — which is why it’s so critical to have your little one vaccinated.
Although polio can often be mild, this illness can also be very serious. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 200 infections results in paralysis that can’t be reversed, and 5% to 10% of people who experience that paralysis die.
There are four doses of the polio vaccine. Your child will get them at 2 months old, 4 months old, between 6 and 18 months old, and between 4 and 6 years old.
How many polio shots will my baby need?
Children should receive four doses of the polio vaccine in total. Your child should get a dose when he's:[3]
- 2 months old
- 4 months old
- Between 6 and 18 months old
- Between 4 and 6 years old
That said, if your child will be traveling to a country that isn't polio-free, your doctor may want to accelerate his vaccine schedule. Talk to your practitioner to decide on the best course of action.
"The polio vaccine is one of the most outstanding medical achievements in history, and by making sure our children receive it, we can keep this disease from ever making a comeback," Dr. Segura says.
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