Polio

1. What is polio?

Polio is a disease caused by a virus. It enters a child's (or adult's) body through the mouth. Sometimes it does not cause serious illness. But sometimes it causes paralysis (can't move arm or leg). It can kill people who get it, usually by paralyzing the muscles that help them breathe.

Polio used to be very common in the U.S. It paralyzed and killed thousands of people a year before we had a vaccine for it.

2. Why get vaccinated?

Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) can prevent Polio.

History. A 1916 polio epidemic in the U.S. killed 6,000 people and paralyzed 27,000 more. In the early 1950's there were more than 20,000 cases of polio each year. Polio vaccination was begun in 1955. By 1960 the number of cases had dropped to about 3,000 and by 1979 there were only about 10. The success of polio vaccination in the U.S. and other countries sparked a world-wide effort to eliminate polio.

Today: No wild polio has been reported in the U.S. for over 20 years, but the disease is still common in some parts of the world. It only takes one case of polio from another country to bring the disease back if we were not protected by vaccine. We need to keep getting our children vaccinated.

3. Who should get polio vaccine and when?

IPV is a shot, given in the leg or arm, depending on age. Polio vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.

Children
Most people should get polio vaccine when they are children. Children get 4 doses of IPV, at these ages. One dose at 2 months, one at 4 months, one at 6-18 months and a booster dose at 4-6 years.

Adults
Most adults do not need polio vaccine because they were already vaccinated as children. But three groups of adults are at higher risk and should consider polio vaccination.

1. People traveling to areas of the world where polio is common.
2. Laboratory workers who might handle polio virus
3. Health care workers treating patients who could have polio

Adults in these three groups who have never been vaccinated against polio should get 3 doses of IPV. The first dose at any time, the second dose 1-2 months later and the third dose 6-12 months after the second.

Adults in these three groups who have had 1 or 2 doses of polio vaccine in the past should get the remaining 1 or 2 doses. It doesn't matter how long it has been since the earlier doses.

Adults in these three groups who have had 3 or more doses of polio vaccine in the past may get a booster dose of IPV.

4. Some people should not get IPV or should wait
     These people should not get IPV

• Anyone who has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to the antibiotics neomycin, streptomycin or polymyxin B .
• Anyone who has a severe allergic reaction to a polio shot should not get another one.

     These people should wait

• Anyone who is moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled should usually wait until they recover before getting polio vaccine. People with minor illnesses, such as cold, may be vaccinated.
  

Ask your doctor or nurse for more  information.

5. What are the risks from IPV?

Some people who get IPV get a sore spot where the shot was given. The vaccine used today has never been known to cause any serious problems, and most people don't have any problem at all.

However, a vaccine, like any medicine, could cause serious problems, such as a severe allergic reaction. The risk of a polio shot causing serious harm or death is extremely small.

6. What if there is a serious reaction?

What should I look for?
Look for any unusual condition, such as a serious allergic reaction, high fever or unusual behavior.

If a serious allergic reaction occurred, it would happen within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot. Signs of a serioius allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, weakness, hoarseness or wheezing, a fast heart beat, hives, dizziness, paleness or swelling of the throat.

What should I do?
- Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away.
- Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
- Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to report the reaction by filing a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System VAERS) form. Or you can file this report through the VAERS website at  www.vaers.hhs.gov/, or by calling 1-800-822-7967.

7. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

A federal program has been created to help people who may have been harmed by a vaccine. For details about the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, call 1-800-338-2382 or visit the program's website at www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/

8. How can I learn more?
- Ask your doctor or nurse. They can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources of information.
- Call your local or state health department.
- Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.):
- Call 1-800-232-4636 (1-800-C.D.C. I.N.F.O.)
- Visit C.D.C.'s website at www.cdc.gov/nip

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH and HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Vaccine Information Statement Polio 1/1/2000