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Polio (poliomyelitis)
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system. The virus lives in the throat and intestinal tract. It is most often spread through person-to-person contact with the stool of an infected person and may also be spread through oral/nasal secretions.
There are two types of vaccine that protect against polio: inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV). IPV, used in the United States since 2000, is given as an injection in the leg or arm, depending on patient's age. Polio vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines. OPV has not been used in the United States since 2000 but is still used in many parts of the world.
Most people should get polio vaccine when they are children. Children get four doses of IPV, at these ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6-18 months, and booster dose at 4-6 years.
Four doses. Two doses by five months of age, a third dose by 19 months of age and a booster dose on or after the fourth birthday and before entering school for the first time. If the third dose was administered on or after the fourth birthday, the fourth dose is not required if the third dose was given at least six months after the second dose.
Updated: September 11, 2019
