Common FAQs About Polio Vaccination For Kids
Vaccines are usually given to children to protect them against serious and often deadly diseases. These products stimulate your body’s natural defense system and prepare your body to fight the disease more quickly. Most of the time, parents are quite concerned about their children’s vaccinations and their side effects. In this blog, I’ll be sharing common FAQs regarding the polio vaccination for children. Let’s get started!
Common FAQs Regarding Polio Vaccination For Children
What is Polio?
Polio is the short form of poliomyelitis. The polio virus infects an individual’s spinal cord, causing paralysis in severe cases. The virus usually duplicates and attacks the nervous system of the body.  This disease can be life-long and deadly.
How Many Types of Polio Vaccination Are There?
There are two types of polio vaccines:
- OPV
- IPV
How Many Polio Shots Are Recommended By Doctors?
Doctors usually recommend four doses of the polio shot for children to protect against the disease.
When Your Child Should Be Given First Polio Shot?
According to the doctors, your child should get one dose at each of the following ages:
How Do Polio Vaccines Work?
All immunization vaccines usually work in a similar way. These products help your immune system fight diseases more efficiently by triggering your immune response to particular diseases. In this way, when a virus or bacteria ever infests your body in the future, your immune system will already know how to resist it.
Is Polio Shot Safe?
Yes, it is. The polio shots are quite safe and effective at preventing polio. All vaccines are like medicines with side effects. However, you don’t need to worry, as they are mild and can go away on their own.
What are the Side Effects of Polio Shots?
Common side effects of a polio shot include:
- Redness
- Swelling
- Pain
Is the Polio Virus Contagious?
Yes, it is highly contagious. The virus can easily spread through contact with the stool of an infected person or droplets from the sneeze or cough of an infected person. Even though sharing the utensils of an infected person can also spread the virus, it is pertinent to mention here that a polio-infected person can spread the virus to others before and up to 2 weeks after symptoms appear. People with no symptoms can still pass the virus on to others and make them ill.
Can We Give Polio Drops to Children Every Time Polio Workers Come?
Yes, you can. There is no such issue with giving your child OPV drops several times.
For How Long Can the Polio Virus Survive in the Body?
The polio virus can live in an infected person’s intestines for many weeks. The infected person can easily contaminate food and water while touching it with unwashed hands.
What Are the Symptoms of Polio?
People infected with poliovirus usually do not show any symptoms. Only 25 people out of 100 will have flu-like symptoms that last within 2 to 5 days. In rare cases, poliovirus infection can be very severe, with weakness or lifetime paralysis in arms, legs, or both.
What Is the Role of the Government of Pakistan in Polio Eradication?
Our government and NGOs have been playing an important role in the eradication of polio. The government has launched several successful polio campaigns to combat this disease. Pakistan is all set to launch another special anti-polio campaign drive after a sample of the crippling disease was found in sewage lines in 31 districts of the country.
