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What is polio vaccine?
Polio affects the central nervous system and spinal cord. It can cause muscle weakness and paralysis. Polio is a life-threatening condition because it can paralyze the muscles that help you breathe. The polio vaccine is used to help prevent these diseases in children. This vaccine works by exposing you to a small dose of the bacteria or a protein from the bacteria, which causes the body to develop immunity to the disease. This vaccine will not treat an active infection that has already developed in the body.

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What are the possible side effects of polio vaccine?

You should not receive a booster vaccine if you had a life-threatening allergic reaction after the first shot.

Keep track of any and all side effects you have after receiving this vaccine. When you receive a booster dose, you will need to tell the doctor if the previous shots caused any side effects.

Becoming infected with polio vaccine is much more dangerous to your health than receiving the vaccine to protect against it. Like any medicine, this vaccine can cause side effects, but the risk of serious side effects is extremely low.

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• extreme drowsiness, fainting;

• seizure (black-out or convulsions); or

• high fever (within a few hours or a few days after the vaccine).

Less serious side effects include:

• redness, pain, swelling, or a lump where the shot was given;

• low fever;

• joint pain, body aches;

• drowsiness; or

• vomiting.

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

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How is polio vaccine administered?
This vaccine is given as an injection (shot) into a muscle. You will receive this injection in a doctor's office or other clinic setting. Polio vaccine is recommended for all children. It is also recommended for adults in the following situations: people who have never been vaccinated against polio; people who travel to areas where polio is common; people who handle polio virus in a laboratory or other setting; or people who treat patients who have polio. The polio vaccine is given in a series of shots. Children should receive a total of 4 shots. The first shot is usually given when the child is 2 months old. The booster shots are then given at 4 months, 6 to 18 months, and then 4 to 6 years of age.

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What is the most important information I should know about polio vaccine?
The polio vaccine is given in a series of shots. The number of shots required and the booster schedule will depend on the age of the person being vaccinated. Follow your doctor's instructions or the schedule recommended by the health department of the state you live in. Be sure you receive all recommended doses of this vaccine. If you do not receive the full series of vaccines, you may not be fully protected against the disease. You can still receive a vaccine if you have a cold or fever. In the case of a more severe illness with a fever or any type of infection, wait until you get better before receiving this vaccine.

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What happens if I miss a dose?
Contact your doctor if you will miss a booster dose or if you get behind schedule. The next dose should be given as soon as possible. There is no need to start over. Be sure you receive all recommended doses of this vaccine. If you do not receive the full series of vaccines, you may not be fully protected against the disease.

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What other drugs will affect polio vaccine?
Before receiving this vaccine, tell the doctor about all other vaccines you have recently received. Also tell the doctor if you have recently received drugs or treatments that can weaken the immune system, including: an oral, nasal, inhaled, or injectable steroid medicine; medications to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders, such as azathioprine (Imuran), efalizumab (Raptiva), etanercept (Enbrel), leflunomide (Arava), and others; or medicines to treat or prevent organ transplant rejection, such as basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf), muromonab-CD3 (Orthoclone), mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf).

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Can I take this if I am pregnant or trying to get pregnant or if I am breastfeeding?

Poliovirus vaccine has been assigned to pregnancy category C by the FDA. Animal studies have not been reported. There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. Poliovirus vaccine should only be given to a pregnant women if clearly needed. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that inactivated poliovirus vaccine may be given to pregnant women who are at risk of exposure to wild-type polio virus.

There are no data on the excretion of poliovirus vaccine into human milk. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices considers vaccination compatible with breast-feeding.

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Who should NOT use this medication?

• IPV (IPOL^®): Hypersensitivity to any ingredient in the vaccine (including phenoxyethanol, formaldehyde, neomycin, streptomycin, polymyxin B) or history of anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock within 24 hours after a previous dose of the vaccine.
• DTaP-HepB-IPV (Pediarix^®): Hypersensitivity to any ingredient in the vaccine (e.g., yeast, neomycin, polymyxin B) or history of serious allergic reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) temporally associated with a previous dose of the vaccine or any vaccine component. Also contraindicated (because of the pertussis antigen) in individuals who had encephalopathy (e.g., coma, decreased consciousness, prolonged seizures) within 7 days of a dose of pertussis-containing vaccine and in individuals with progressive neurologic disorder, including infantile spasms, uncontrolled epilepsy, or progressive encephalopathy.

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What happens if I overdose?
An overdose of this vaccine is unlikely to occur.

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What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before receiving polio vaccine?
You should not receive this vaccine if you have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to any vaccine containing live or inactivated polio virus. Do not receive this vaccine if you have received cancer chemotherapy or radiation treatment in the past 3 months. Before receiving a polio vaccine, tell the doctor if you have: a bleeding or blood clotting disorder such as hemophilia or easy bruising; a history of seizures; a neurologic disorder or disease affecting the brain (or if this was a reaction to a previous vaccine);

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Can I stop taking the medication if I feel better?
As a general rule, you should always take your medications exactly as prescribed and do not change the dosage or stop taking the medication without first discussing it with your healthcare provider.

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I am on so many medications; do I have to take them all?
This is called polypharmacy—many different medications being used at the same time by one person. Sometimes, being on multiple medications is acceptable and appropriate but at other times it may be problematic. If you are receiving your medications from multiple physicians you need to ensure that they all know what medications you are taking. The best way to do this is to make a list of all the medications you are currently using, including all nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and over-the-counter drugs (if possible, also include all the diseases you have been diagnosed with). Give a copy to every doctor who takes care of you so they have it on file, this way they can avoid duplicating medications and perhaps even try to consolidate some. After every doctor's visit remember to update the list accordingly. Also, as much as you possibly can, try to use the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions, this way any potential drug interactions can be caught and averted.

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Where can I get more information?
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