Polio Vaccine

Polio is a disease caused by a virus. It enters a child's body through the mouth. Sometimes it causes paralysis (inability to move arms or legs) and can lead to death.

Polio used to be very common in the United States. It paralyzed and killed thousands of people a year in epidemics before we had a vaccine to prevent it.

• All children should receive four doses of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) injection. This is a change from previous use of the oral polio vaccine, which had a small risk of causing polio.
  
  
• Immunizations are given at age 2, 4, 6-18 months, and between 4-6 years.