Preventing Polio

Usually in the United States it is recommend that children have four doses of a inactivated Polio vaccine. When you are or your child is between the ages of two months and six years. A oral vaccine that was created in 1964 which is known as OPV it is the most recommended vaccine. OPV has made it possible for large populations to be immunized since it is a easier way to administer. It has also provided contact immunization which is when an unimmunized person comes in contact with a recently immunized child might become immune, too. The main problem with OPV is that, in some cases, paralytic polio could develop either in a immunized child or in those who have come in contact with them. In an effort to get rid of all polio, including those cases associated with the vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided to make IPV the only vaccine given in the United States. Currently, they and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend three spaced doses of IPV given before the age of 18 months, and an IPV booster given between the ages of 4 to 6, when children are entering school. Make sure that if you are planning on traveling outside of the country be sure to be vaccinated because in Africa and Asia polio still exists