How is Polio Vaccine Made?
Depending upon the degree of polio, the vaccination is given. Polio vaccine is basically a dead virus, which is potent enough to treat the disease.
There are two types of vaccines available for polio, which includes the following:
- Inactivated poliovirus (IPV) – These injections are given after 2 months of birth and continued till the age of 4 to 6 years.
- Oral polio vaccine (OPV) – This is a low-cost vaccination which contains dead polio virus and the effects of OPV lasts for up to 10 years.
The above vaccinations are very powerful in preventing any upcoming danger of the polio.
What is the Procedure to Give Polio Vaccine?
Polio vaccination has some specific procedure as per which they are administered to the patients. There are some procedures, which need to be followed in order to get vaccinated from polio. Most of the programs for vaccination are run by government agencies to ensure a fool-proof health drive.
The specific procedure for vaccination involves repeated immunizations, which aim at eradicating polio in the most promising manner. Polio vaccines are given to the kids who are below 5 years of age and are generally given via oral polio vaccine.
Schedule of Polio Vaccination
Talking about vaccination, the inclusion is that of specific number of doses of oral polio vaccine which are given at regular intervals. Oral polio vaccine is given in doses and along with that, there is one inactivated poliovirus also which is started when the child is 6 weeks old. Between the two doses of oral polio vaccine, there is a difference of 4 weeks.
Inactivated poliovirus is given as per schedule and when it comes to the 1st, dose the age of the child has to be up to 14 weeks. The OPV dose is considered to be the most suitable one and is equipped with all sorts of benefits which are desired from a polio vaccine.
Polio vaccination is given to the newborn babies and 4 doses are sufficient. The vaccination is basically the inactivated polio virus and is applicable for the following age groups:
- 2 months
- 4 months
- 6-8 months
- 4-6 years
Risks Associated With Polio Vaccine
Polio vaccination may involve certain risks, which can prove to be very troublesome in the long run. The vaccinations at time may be contaminated and this can have severe repercussions. Most of the problems can be the result of live virus, which in the recent times has been replaced by inactivated polio virus vaccines.
The oral polio vaccine is made from a live polio virus and this carries a risk of actually causing polio. The polio virus present in the vaccine can also change into a deadlier version triggering new polio outbreaks.
Side Effects of Polio Vaccine
There are no major side effects of polio vaccine, but at times, the child may get afflicted from pain at the site of vaccination. Therefore, the vaccination becomes a cause of concern when the child is of very young age. Polio vaccination when accrued from live bacteria can have some side effects as is evident from several cases. But when the vaccination is derived from the dead virus, then there are lesser side effects involved. Common side effects of inactivated poliovirus include the following:
- Fever.
- Irritability.
- Tiredness.
- Joint Pain.
- Body aches.
- Redness and swelling at the site of injection.
- Vomiting.
- Seizures.
- Vision problem.
- Ringing in the ears.
- Dizziness.
- Allergic reaction after the polio vaccine.
When Should Polio Vaccine be Avoided?
Vaccination has to be avoided if a child is allergic to the following medications:
- Neomycin
- Streptomycin or polymyxin B
- If there is a reaction to the previous IPV vaccine
Conclusion
There are no major aspects of polio vaccination, which are harmful. One is at great risk from getting affected with polio when polio vaccination is not provided. Therefore, it is in the right concern to get polio vaccination that can make it more suitable to get protection from the associated problems of polio.
It is highly recommended to get complete information from the medical professional to ensure that polio vaccination is completely safe and effective. For the obvious reasons, polio vaccination is a safe bet, which can improve the quality of life of the kid and keep them free from the problems, which can arise in a short span of time. The polio vaccination procedures are more or less safe except for some symptoms, which eventually subside. Polio vaccination is indeed something that one has to undergo to remain free from the infection of the virus. Polio vaccination is a must have these days which keeps you free from the associated problems of polio.