Stresses the importance of immunization and offers information on the disease prevented by the polio shot. Also provides information regarding typical administration times and common side effects.
Keeping your new baby healthy includes making sure that available vaccines are given at the right
times. When keeping your regular scheduled checkups, bring your vaccination record with you so that your nurse
practitioner or doctor can record these vaccinations for you.
What disease does this immunization prevent?
Polio is a very serious, life-threatening disease that is caused by a virus. It can cause paralysis and even death.
Serious cases of polio cause severe muscle pain and sometimes may make it difficult to breathe without the help of a
machine. Mild cases of polio may last only a few days and cause fever, sore throat, stomachache, and headache.
Getting the vaccine protects your baby against this illness. Fortunately we have not had any Polio in the
United States for awhile now, but it still exists some places in the world.
When is the vaccine given?
The polio vaccine is given in four doses at two, four, and six months and at four years of age.
The vaccine is now given only as an injection in the United States. The injection is not a live virus,
so it is not possible to get a case of polio from it, as was not the case with the sugar drop vaccine previously used.
What are the side effects of the vaccination?
No serious side effects of the currently available injectible vaccine have been documented. It is always possible
that someone will react to any foreign substance being injected. Call your doctor or nurse practitioner if
there are any unusual symptoms that you are concerned about.
Adapted from Healthy Steps. Edited and Compiled by the Center for Promotion of Child Development Through Primary Care 2011
