Everything about Polio Vaccine: Purpose, Dosage & Side Effects

Poliomyelitis or polio is a severe infectious disease that causes muscle weakness resulting in flaccid paralysis. As a parent, you must feel the urge to protect your child from every danger, especially regarding such diseases. Injecting them with a polio vaccine can be helpful to avoid such conditions in future.

Are you a parent waiting to get your kid vaccinated? Learn about the side effects and benefits of the polio vaccine with this article!

What Is a Polio Vaccine?

what is polio vaccine — (source: science)

Polio is a highly contagious virus affecting people differently. When the virus replicates in blood and attacks the nervous system, it results in causing flaccid paralysis in individuals. A polio vaccine is mainly responsible for protecting kids' immune systems against the poliovirus and its entrance into the body. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), every child should seek complete vaccination against polio.

What Is the Purpose of Polio Vaccine?

The three wild types of poliovirus, including type 1, type 2, and type 3, are all equally harmful for an individual. Therefore, people need to take vaccines from a young age to prevent this disorder. Therefore, the purpose of the polio vaccine is to protect children from getting infected.

There are two types of polio vaccine. First, healthcare scientists made Oral Poliovirus Vaccines (OPV) induce intestines antibodies, providing first-line defence against polio. Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccines (IPV), on the other hand, elicits antibodies in the bloodstream and not the intestines. Therefore, it prevents polio virus from travelling through the bloodstream and causing paralysis.

Who Should Get a Polio Vaccine?

benefits of polio vaccine — (source: elsevierhealth)

A dose of polio drops can be suitable for both children and adults. However, the appropriate dosage of polio drops will differ. The following section discusses this.

1. Infants and Children

It is the larger target audience, as the benefits of a polio vaccine are most likely to apply to infants. According to the health researchers, they should get a total of four doses. They should take these doses once they reach the following age groups.

2 months
4 months
6-18 months
4-6 years

On the other hand, if children need to move to a country with higher risks of polio disease, they need to complete these vaccine doses before taking the trip. However, if the prescribed series is not completed before the trip, an accelerated schedule mentioned below can be suitable.

1 dose at age six weeks or older
Second dose after four weeks of the first dose
Third dose after four weeks of the second dose
Fourth dose after four weeks of the third dose

These doses are essential for preventing polio among kids and infants. Therefore, it is advisable to complete the entire dosage when a kid is four years old. However, the third dose should be at least six months before the last one.

2. Adult People

As people are more likely to get the polio vaccine as infants, adults are less likely to get these. However, in rare cases, the following conditions might require them to get vaccinated for higher risk of this disorder.

While travelling to a country with a higher risk of polio
If one works in a laboratory handling specimens that can contain polioviruses
Healthcare workers who are regularly dealing with poliovirus patients

When it comes to polio dosage for adults, healthcare researchers suggest three doses. While adults can take the first dose any time, they should take the second dose after 1-2 months of the first one. On the other hand, the third dose can be taken about 6-12 months after the second one.

When Should One Avoid Taking the Polio Vaccine?

As preventing polio viruses are government initiatives, every child can get a polio vaccine. However, in the following cases, they should avoid it.

1. Severe allergies

If you or your baby faces extreme allergic reactions after one dose of IPV, you might not continue these vaccine doses. It is advisable to take professional help by discussing the situation with your physician. Apart from that, if you have severe allergies from antibiotics streptomycin, polymyxin B, or neomycin, you might not be able to enjoy the advantages of polio drops.

2. Other health issues

If you have mild illnesses such as cold, you should avoid getting a polio vaccine on the same day. Moreover, if you have other serious diseases and you are receiving treatments, you should wait till your complete recovery before getting this vaccine. Furthermore, pregnant women should also try to avoid getting this vaccine.

What Are the Side Effects of Polio Vaccine?

Now, you must be curious to know the side effects of the polio vaccine. The mild risks include slight soreness in the area where you got the vaccine shot. Apart from that, you might face the following side effects after getting this vaccine.

After this vaccine, some people can get shoulder pain, which is more severe and longer-lasting than the usual routine soreness.
There are also cases where people faint after a medical procedure, such as vaccination. For example, you can feel dizzy or have vision changes because of a polio vaccine.
Even though it is usually rare, you can end up getting severe allergic reactions from this vaccine.

Thiomersal, an organomercury compound, can be considered in this regard. Previously, its presence in vaccines caused significant side effects, including redness, swelling and soreness in the skin. However, recently, this compound has been removed from polio vaccines.

Thus, it is safe to say that a polio vaccine is essential for kids and adults, as it protects them from poliovirus. This virus can create a significant disorder, which ultimately paralyses the patients. It is therefore advisable to take your kids to getting these vaccines from a young age to avoid getting infected in future.

Frequently Asked Questions

✓ Can you still get polio after being vaccinated?

Usually, the polio vaccine helps to strengthen your immune system to fight against the poliovirus. However, there are rare cases where people with specific immunity problems can still get the disorder. It is more likely to happen if the child only takes an OPV.

✓ What is the age limit for the polio vaccine?

For kids, the age limit for getting an OPV is about five years. Therefore, it is advisable to complete the vaccine by this time. There is no age limit for adults.