How polio vaccines work
There are two types of polio vaccines used worldwide to protect children against the disease. Polio can only be prevented, as there is no cure for it.
There are two types of polio vaccines used
wordwide to protect children against the disease.
Polio can only be prevented as there’s no cure for it.
INACTIVATED POLIO VACCINE (IPV)
Introduced to the United States in 1955, and
the only polio vaccine used there since 2000
Cost:
From $1 per dose
Contains killed poliovirus
strains of all three types
Administered by injection and requires a trained health worker and sterile equipment
Does not stop transmission
No risk of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP)
ORAL POLIO VACCINE (OPV)
Introduced to the United States in 1961, and is
the most widely used polio vaccine globally
Administered orally and can be given by volunteers
Prevents transmission
1 in 2.7 million doses can
cause VAPP
Cost:
From $0.15 per dose
Contains weakened virus of one, two or three strains
US polio vaccine schedule (IPV)
2 months
4 months
6-18 months
AGE
1
2
3
DOSE
4
4-6 years
OPV needs to be given several times to be effective. The number of doses depends on the child’s health and nutrition status. In the tropics, children can sometimes require more than 10.
INACTIVATED POLIO VACCINE (IPV)
Introduced to the United States in 1955, and
the only polio vaccine used there since 2000
Cost:
From $1 per dose
Contains killed poliovirus
strains of all three types
Administered by injection and requires a trained health worker and sterile equipment
Does not stop transmission
No risk of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP)
ORAL POLIO VACCINE (OPV)
Introduced to the United States in 1961, and is the most widely used polio vaccine globally
Administered orally and can be given by volunteers
Prevents transmission
1 in 2.7 million doses can
cause VAPP
Cost:
From $0.15 per dose
Contains weakened virus of one, two or three strains
US polio vaccine schedule (IPV)
2 months
4 months
6-18 months
AGE
1
2
3
DOSE
4
4-6 years
OPV needs to be given several times to be effective. The number of doses depends on the child’s health and nutrition status. In the tropics, children can sometimes require more than 10.
INACTIVATED POLIO VACCINE (IPV)
ORAL POLIO VACCINE (OPV)
Introduced to the United States in 1955, and
the only polio vaccine used there since 2000
Introduced to the United States in 1961, and is
the most widely used polio vaccine globally
Administered by injection and requires a
trained health worker and sterile equipment
Administered orally and can be given by volunteers
Contains killed
poliovirus strains
of all three types
Contains weakened virus of one, two or three strains
Does not stop transmission
Prevents transmission
No risk of vaccine-associated
paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP)
1 in 2.7 million doses can
cause VAPP
Cost:
From $0.15 per dose
Cost:
From $1 per dose
US polio vaccine schedule (IPV)
2 months
4 months
6-18 months
4-6 years
AGE
1
2
3
4
DOSE
OPV needs to be given several times to be effective. The number of doses depends on the child’s health and nutrition status. In the tropics, children can sometimes require more than 10 doses.
