Polio Vaccines
Polio Vaccines — Precision Vaccinations
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Polio Vaccines Approved
There are two types of polio vaccines, an inactivated (killed) polio vaccine (IPV) was developed by Dr. Jonas Salk and first used in 1955. And a live attenuated (weakened) oral polio vaccine (OPV) developed by Dr. Albert Sabin and first used in 1961 reports the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
Polio Vaccine Availability
Since 2000, only the IPV vaccine has been available in the U.S. The U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) says the IPV can reduce how much poliovirus people shed, but it can't stop all virus transmission. In addition, the CDC's website stated on September 15, 2022, that it is unknown how long people who received IPV will be protected against polio.
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) reviewed poliovirus, polio vaccination, and polio epidemiology on October 19, 2022. The U.S. CDC published a poliovirus vaccine update on September 22, 2022, recommending children get four doses of any combination of IPV and trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) or a primary series of at least three doses of IPV or tOPV.
The state of New York (NY) says adults who completed their polio vaccination but are at increased risk of contracting poliovirus may receive an IPV booster under specific situations. For polio vaccination recommendations for adults in NY, see Polio Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know.
The Imovax Polio®; IPOL® IPV vaccine is indicated for active immunization of infants (as young as six weeks), children, and adults to prevent poliomyelitis caused by poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3. The IPV protects against both wild-type polio and this weakened poliovirus strain. For details and age groups, refer to the ACIP IPV catch-up vaccine table.
Kinrix is indicated for active immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and poliomyelitis as the fifth dose in the diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine series and the fourth dose in the IPV series in children 4 through 6 years of age whose previous DTaP vaccine doses have been with Infanrix and/or Pediarix for the first three doses and Infanrix for the fourth dose.
Pediarix is a vaccine for active immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and infection caused by all known subtypes of hepatitis B virus and poliomyelitis.
Pentacel is a multi-vaccine consisting of Diphtheria, Tetanus Toxoids, and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed and Inactivated Poliovirus (DTaP-IPV) component as well as an ActHIB® vaccine component.
Quadracel vaccine is indicated for active immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and poliomyelitis.
Sabin IPV (sIPV) inactivated vaccine produced by SINOVAC Biotech Ltd. is indicated to prevent the Wild Polio Virus and was WHO prequalified in June 2022.
Oral Polio Vaccine
Oral polio vaccines (OPV) contain a weakened strain of the poliovirus that has changed over time and now behaves similarly to a wild-type polio infection. In addition, OPV can lead to vaccine-derived poliovirus, which can enter the blood and paralyze an unvaccinated person and is not offered in the U.S.
In 2016, the CDC announced to address the risks posed by type 2 circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses, which have caused hundreds of paralytic poliomyelitis cases since 2006, the type 2 component of oral poliovirus vaccine was withdrawn through a switch from trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (tOPV) to bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (bOPV), which contains only attenuated viruses of types 1 and 3. However, the bOPV vaccine does not give immunity against serotype 2. This change reduced the risk of tOPV seeding new type 2 circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV2).
As of December 30, 2022, the tOPV remains in use with children in countries such as Somalia. In addition, OPVs are inexpensive (U.S. $0.12) for countries procuring vaccines through UNICEF.
Novel Oral Polio Vaccine Type 2 (nOPV2)
In November 2020, the nOPV2 vaccine, a modified version of the type 2 monovalent OPV (mOPV2) vaccine, was recommended under WHO's Emergency Use Listing procedure. The first-in-human clinical trial was conducted in 2017 at the University of Antwerp and found nOPV2 safe and efficacious. The Lancet published these findings in June 2019. As of December 2022, approximately 550 million doses of nOPV2 have been administered in about 25 countries. Following a review of the nOPV2, the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization (SAGE) endorsed a vaccine transition program on October 11, 2021.
Polio Vaccine Price
The U.S. CDC confirmed the Vaccines For Children program is a federally funded program that provides IPV vaccines and medicines at no cost to children to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated because of their inability to pay. For people in the U.S. not covered by health insurance, a polio booster typically costs about $100. So, for example, pharmacies may charge about $100 for an IPV polio booster shot.
The U.S. CDC Vaccine Price List was updated in September 2022. This UNICEF table provides an overview of Oral polio vaccine prices contracted with suppliers. And additional polio vaccine prices and discount information are available at InstantRx™.
Poliovirus Outbreaks 2022
On November 30, 2022, the U.S. CDC reissued a Global Polio Level 2 Travel Alert. For the latest news regarding poliovirus detections and polio cases, visit this PrecisionVaccinations webpage.
Polio Vaccine News 2022
November 8, 2022 - PharmaJet® announced that their PharmaJet Tropis® Needle-free Injection System (NFIS) would be used in a door-to-door children immunization campaign to reduce the outbreak of cMPV2. The initial pilot was in the Sokoto North local government area of Nigeria.
November 1, 2022 - The WHO announced its vaccine Committee unanimously agreed that the risk of the international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and recommended the extension of Temporary Recommendations for a further three months.
October 24, 2022 - PharmaJet® announced they received a multi-year, $1.5 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development to evaluate the impact of intradermal (I.D.) vaccine administration using their Tropis® Needle-free Injection System. The project will measure vaccine coverage and cost using Tropis ID for fractional inactivated poliovirus vaccine delivery compared to standard intramuscular delivery using a needle and syringe.
August 6, 1955 - The JAMA Network published - EVALUATION OF THE 1954 POLIOMYELITIS VACCINE FIELD TRIAL: 516 total cases of paralytic polio accumulated in the 1954 polio field trial, and vaccination reduced its incidence by 71.1% and 62.4%, relative to the placebo and observational-control groups, respectively.