Vaccination against polio and contraindications to it. A child’s reaction to the polio vaccine, contraindications and possible complications Complications after the polio vaccine

Poliomyelitis is a viral disease that affects the head and causes paralysis. Its complications are very serious and unpleasant - among them are pulmonary atelectasis, perforation, curvature of the arms and legs, ulcers, myocarditis and others. Poliomyelitis is transmitted both through contact with a patient (airborne infection) and through the use of his things. Most often occurs in children under ten years of age.

Unfortunately, today there is no effective treatment for this disease, and therefore it is better not to risk the child’s health and resort to vaccination. If carried out correctly, it almost completely eliminates the possibility of infection. Another thing is that the consequences can be as dangerous as the disease itself. So what should you do to avoid harming your baby?

What vaccinations do children get?

There are two types of vaccines against this disease. The injection solution contains an inactivated (dead) pathogen and is administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly. This vaccine is very effective, immunity is formed in at least 90% of cases. Relatively safe.

The second type of vaccine is oral. It is a polio drop containing a live, albeit weakened, pathogen. It is instilled into the child's mouth, and local immunity is formed in the intestines. It is less effective and has a higher risk of side effects.

From the information provided, it should be concluded that in order for the consequences of the polio vaccination not to ruin the child’s life, his parents should not show pity in protecting the baby from injections. An inactivated vaccine, injected into muscle tissue or subcutaneously, is more effective and safe.

Consequences of the polio vaccine: allergies

This is one of the body's most common reactions to a vaccine. Its manifestations can be different, and therefore it is better not to leave the clinic immediately after vaccination, but to remain under the supervision of a doctor for at least half an hour. And, of course, upon arrival home it is unacceptable to leave the baby alone - you need to constantly monitor his condition.

Consequences of the polio vaccine: seizures and paralysis

In the first days, seizures may develop against the background of high temperature or its absence. In the first case, the problem arises due to the underdevelopment of the child’s brain, in the second - due to an undetected lesion of the nervous system. To avoid such troubles, there is no need to rush with vaccination - it is better if the child is older, and it is necessary to undergo a thorough examination by a good doctor.

One of the rarest, but at the same time the most dangerous consequences of taking drops is vaccine-associated polio, the main manifestation of which is paralysis. The risk group includes unvaccinated children who have been in contact with a vaccinated child. Thus, if there are several children living in a house, at least one of whom cannot be given the vaccine, it is unacceptable to use drops with a live pathogen for all the others.

Better to play it safe

Similar consequences of the polio vaccine never occur with the administration of an inactivated vaccine. We must not forget about this - it is better for a child to endure several injections than to undergo treatment for many months afterward.

In Russia, the vaccination calendar includes vaccination against polio. It is performed on very young children, namely from the age of 3 months. Young mothers ask questions about the need for such a procedure for their babies, its effectiveness, possible reactions and complications. Let's try to answer all the questions asked.

What is polio

First you need to understand what polio is. This is a viral infectious disease that is transmitted through airborne droplets and household contact. Affects the human nervous system. There are 1, 2, 3 types of polio virus. You can become infected from an infected person, and the carrier may not even be aware of the disease due to the absence of any symptoms or their insignificant manifestation: frequent bowel movements, nausea, temporary fever, weakness. Symptoms may appear 3-5 days after infection, and a person recovers within 24-72 hours. But in 1% of cases, damage to the membranes of the brain occurs, which leads to paralysis.

What is the danger of polio?

In some cases, the disease proceeds unnoticed, in others paralysis and atrophy of various muscle groups develop - the person remains deeply disabled for life. If the muscles involved in the respiratory processes are paralyzed, death from suffocation is possible. Moreover, there is no cure for the disease. Therefore, the only effective method of prevention is polio vaccinations. Although they do not protect the vaccinated person 100%. There are cases of infection with a wild strain of the virus. Therefore, the effectiveness of vaccination is determined to be 90-95%.

Spread of the virus

Until the 1950s, there was no treatment or vaccination against polio. Epidemics of the disease killed people in large numbers in America and Europe. Only in 1949 was an American scientist invented a live vaccine, and in 1953 - an inactivated one. Both drugs protect against 3 types of polio. In 1979, the virus was eradicated from the western part of the world thanks to universal vaccination. But till today, polio is common in countries like India, Pakistan and Africa. Vaccination at 3 months is not done without reason: the child’s body is easily susceptible to infection. In Asian countries, this vaccination is done right in the maternity hospital. In addition, a wild strain of the virus is widespread in these latitudes, and it is constantly mutating, which poses a worldwide threat of new epidemics. This is why universal vaccination continues in countries where the disease has been statistically eradicated.

Polio vaccines

In the Russian Federation, the following vaccinations against polio are carried out: with the Russian-made live vaccine OPV and the French drug for injection of the inactivated virus “Imovax Polio”. The multi-component vaccine “Pentaxim”, “Infanrix IPV”, “Infanrix Hexa”, “Tetracok” is also used. In addition, most often the OPV vaccine is combined with the domestic DTP vaccine.

Polio vaccination calendar

According to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, polio vaccinations are given to children aged 3, 4 and a half, 6 months. The first revaccination is carried out at 18 months, the second at 20, and the last at 14 years. In the first year of life, vaccinations are given with an inactivated vaccine, and in the second year - with a live vaccine. This scheme helps to most reliably protect the human body from polio infection.

What is a live vaccine

As stated above, there is a live and inactivated polio vaccine. A live, or OPV, vaccine is a small dose of a live virus, which, when it reaches the intestinal wall, forms the child’s immunity to the disease and produces antibodies to the virus, without causing a full-fledged infection of the human body. It has also been noted that OPV stimulates the production of natural interferon, which helps protect against cold viral infections. The polio vaccine has this special feature: the effects of vaccination can spread to other people, since the vaccinated person is contagious.

The vaccine is a pink liquid with a bitter taste. The doctor instills a few drops (2-4, depending on the concentration of the drug) onto the root of the tongue or tonsil. After vaccination against polio, you should not give the baby anything to drink or feed for an hour.

Adverse reactions to OPV

Usually, a reaction to the polio vaccine does not occur - healthy babies tolerate the vaccination without any complications. In rare cases, an allergic rash and Quincke's edema, loose and frequent stools may appear. But the most dangerous complication is vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP). In other words, after vaccination, the human body not only forms immunity, but becomes fully infected with a virus that leads to paralysis. Although very rare, such cases have been recorded in medicine. Reactions may occur from the 5th to the 14th day after taking the drops.

Contraindications and precautions when taking OPV

The live polio vaccine is not always effective for a number of reasons:

the drug requires a certain temperature regime during storage and transportation, which is often violated and leads to ineffective vaccination;
not the entire dose is absorbed: children burp, spit out drops, part is excreted in the stool, and is digested in the stomach;
the spread of the virus into the environment from a vaccinated child leads to mutations of the infection and its further spread.

Contraindications to vaccination:

HIV infection;
immunodeficiencies;
the presence of people with weakened immune systems in the child’s immediate environment, including pregnant women;
with neurological reactions to previous polio vaccinations;
Vaccinations for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are carried out with extreme caution and under the supervision of a doctor;
ARVI, fever, and other minor weakening of the child’s immunity require complete recovery before taking OPV drops.

Inactivated polio vaccine

Inactivated vaccine (IPV) is much safer because it does not contain live virus cells, which means that the development of VAPP is impossible. In Russia they use the French drug Imovax Polio. This vaccination is carried out even for weakened children with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the course of vaccination with an inactivated drug consists of 4 injections: at 3 months, 4 and a half, 6 and at 18, revaccination. A vaccinated child is not contagious to others. But they still recommend limiting your stay in crowded places for a week after vaccination, since the body weakened by the virus can become infected with any other infection. The injection is given in the shoulder or thigh. Redness of the injection site up to 8 cm in diameter is considered within normal limits. The temperature after polio vaccination can reach 39 degrees or even higher. There are also complications in the form of severe redness, swelling, allergic rash, capriciousness of the child, unreasonable loud prolonged crying, loss of appetite.

Combination vaccines

Single vaccines are used less and less often, usually in cases where it is impossible to vaccinate against diseases provided for in combination vaccine complexes. It is much safer for a child to be vaccinated with vaccines that include protection against several diseases. Polio is included in such inactivated vaccines as Infanrix IPV, Infanrix Hexa, Pentaxim and Tetracok. DTP and polio vaccinations are carried out as follows: an injection is made with the Russian DTP vaccine and OPV drops are immediately given to the baby. All of the above complexes include protection against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio. Infanrix Hexa, in addition to the above diseases, protects against hepatitis B. Only a doctor can choose a complex vaccine suitable for your baby, based on the child’s health status and medical history. Complex vaccines are not provided by the state; drugs can be purchased upon request at pharmacies or medical institutions.

The following complications have been recorded that have occurred after vaccination with inactivated complex drugs “Infanrix IPV”, “Infanrix Hexa”, “Tetracok”, “Pentaxim”:

compaction and pain at the injection site;
stomatitis and toothache;
upper respiratory tract diseases;
otitis;
sleep disturbance;
fever;
nausea;
diarrhea;
vomit;
weakness;
unusual crying or screaming;
anxiety.

Most often, complications arise and the load on the child’s immune system increases if DTP and polio vaccinations are performed. The reaction can occur both from diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus drug and from drops.

Vaccination always raises many questions, disputes and worries among parents. The polio vaccine, which can sometimes cause problems for children, tops the list of most needed childhood vaccines. After all, this severe disease affects motor neurons, causing paralysis and other dangerous changes in the body.

What is polio

Poliomyelitis is spinal paralysis in a child. After the virus enters the body and multiplies, the gray matter of the spinal cord is affected, resulting in paralysis of the muscles, the neurons of which are more affected by the virus. This disease can only be prevented by the polio vaccine. When vaccinated, the child should be free of any respiratory diseases and exacerbations of chronic diseases.

The disease can occur in an erased or latent form (without symptoms), so sometimes it is quite difficult to identify it. Poliomyelitis is most common among children aged 6 months to 5 years. At this age, it is very difficult to keep track of the baby, so the risk of getting sick increases greatly. And given that polio is transmitted by airborne droplets, we conclude: you can become infected with it in the most unexpected place.

This is why the polio vaccine is so necessary. Many parents have always spoken out for and against vaccination. You can learn the positive and negative aspects of vaccination from this article.

The polio virus is volatile and resistant to external influences. It can persist in dairy products, water and feces for up to six months. That is why in the twentieth century this disease took the form of an epidemic.

The causative agent of the virus

The causative agent of polio belongs to the picornavirus family of viruses and the group of enteroviruses (viruses that multiply in the intestines). Exists in the form of three independent strains. All these strains are usually contained in the polio vaccine. Side effects on the body will not harm the child’s health.

The virus is a single-stranded RNA enclosed in a protein shell containing lipids. Not affected by environmental factors, resistant to freezing, but quickly dies when boiled. After entering the body, it multiplies in the tonsils, intestines and then affects the gray matter of the spinal cord, causing the destruction of motor neurons and atrophy of muscle tissue.

Symptoms of polio

It is possible to determine in time whether a child has a disease based on the symptoms of the initial stage. Typically this is:

increased body temperature;
intestinal disorders;
severe headaches;
rapid fatigue of the body;
the appearance of convulsive seizures.

If the child has not been vaccinated, then the first stage quickly passes into the second, and paralysis and paresis occur, localized in the muscles of the limbs and the deltoid muscle. Less commonly, paralysis of the muscles of the face, neck and torso may occur. Vaccination against polio will help prevent possible infection. Reviews about the drugs used can be studied in detail on the Internet.

To protect your child from such a dangerous disease, it is better to vaccinate against all three viruses that cause polio in advance. Otherwise, with paralysis of the diaphragm muscles, death is possible.

What is the polio vaccine?

A vaccine involves the introduction of a greatly weakened or killed virus into the body, as a result of which immunity to the disease will be developed. The multiplying virus will provoke the production of antibodies in the blood, and after some time it will be completely eliminated from the body, and the child will have the so-called “passive” immunization.

The effect of the polio vaccine depends directly on the site of its administration. There are oral and inactivated forms of the vaccine. The oral vaccine is dripped directly into the child's mouth, so it is more effective, but it can also cause complications.

Because the naturally occurring virus replicates in the gastrointestinal tract, an oral vaccine will help develop stronger immunity against polio.

The inactivated vaccine is administered by injection and is less dangerous for the child’s body. Both drugs contain three known strains of the virus, so vaccination completely protects the child from becoming infected with polio.

When is vaccination carried out?

In medical institutions there is a certain system of vaccination of children:

at 3 months the first administration of inactivated vaccine (IPV) is carried out;
at 4.5 months - the second IPV is introduced;
at 6 months - third IPV;
at 18 months, repeated revaccination is carried out with the introduction of;
at 20 months - second revaccination with OPV;
At the age of 14, the last polio vaccination is given.

When all vaccines are given according to schedule, the child develops strong, lifelong immunity to the disease. In cases where the vaccination schedule has been violated, it is necessary to take care of individual monitoring and timely administration of the drug in order to protect your child from dangerous diseases. Proper vaccination will give your child lifelong immunity.

You can find out how many polio vaccinations you need to get directly from your doctor, or by studying this issue with the help of specialized literature.

Where is the polio vaccine administered?

The introduction has its own characteristics. The live vaccine is administered orally - the pinkish liquid must be dripped onto the lymphoid tissue of the pharynx for children, and the vaccine must be dripped onto the tonsils for older children. This is necessary to prevent increased salivation, since getting the vaccine into the stomach neutralizes its effect (it will be destroyed under the influence of gastric juice).

Note! If the baby regurgitates, the vaccine administration procedure will need to be repeated.

The inactivated vaccine is administered to children intramuscularly in the thigh area or subcutaneously in the scapula area. For older children, the vaccine is administered intramuscularly, in the shoulder area.

Polio vaccination: pros and cons of combination with DTP vaccine

The DPT vaccine is used to protect a child from whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus. In our medical institutions, DTP and IPV are most often done together. The vaccine can be administered with two different drugs or in combination with drugs such as Infarix Gesta and Pentaxim.

Do not worry that the combination of IPV and DTP will cause more complications than the polio vaccine alone. Side effects from this combination of drugs do not increase and are often completely absent.

Immunologists have proven that the joint administration of vaccines contributes to the development of stable immunity to all diseases in a child. However, it is better to consult your doctor individually on this issue, since DTP is difficult for the body, and in some cases it is better not to combine these vaccines. There are no complications when vaccinating a healthy child.

What drugs are used for vaccination

Complex or monovalent preparations can be used to immunize a child. Among the monovalent inactivated vaccines in our country, the following are popular:

For a small child, the only guarantee of protection against the disease is the polio vaccination. Reviews from parents and doctors about her are mostly positive. What can I say, it can generally be called a vital procedure. And if you follow the pediatrician’s recommendations, side effects will be minimal and safe for the baby’s health.

For complex vaccines, the following are used:

Administered orally, it is not used and therefore not produced in European countries. The live vaccine is produced in Russia and contains a stabilizer (magnesium chloride) and three known strains of the virus. Vaccination against polio, the side effects of which can lead to the development of vaccine-associated polio, requires responsibility on the part of the doctor and parents when vaccinating the baby.

How to prepare your child for vaccination

Before the introduction of a live virus, the child must undergo an examination by a pediatrician, at which it will be decided whether he or she can be vaccinated at this time. It is prohibited to vaccinate a child who lives in the same house as a pregnant woman if she is not vaccinated.

Important! Polio vaccination for children taking immunosuppressive drugs or having congenital gastrointestinal malformations is strictly prohibited.

It is also worth paying attention to the results of previous vaccinations - whether there were any side effects and how the post-vaccination period proceeded.

After the oral vaccine is administered, the child should not be allowed to drink or eat for an hour; in this case, the vaccine will be destroyed and will not have an effect on the child’s development of immunity against polio.

Polio Vaccine: Side Effects and Health Hazards

When timely and correct vaccination is carried out, side effects occur in rare cases and are insignificant. It can be:

general weakness of the body;
slight increase in body temperature;
redness and slight swelling at the injection site.

Symptoms after vaccination against polio appear, as a rule, after 1-2 days, and after a few days they disappear without any intervention.

In very rare cases, when a live vaccine is administered, a child may develop vaccine-associated polio. It is important to note that such consequences from vaccination occur only if the child has congenital immunodeficiency, gastrointestinal malformations, or the person has AIDS. In all other cases, polio vaccination is safe.

against polio

The administration of live oral vaccine is strictly prohibited when:

the presence of malignant tumors;
neurological disorders (in particular those caused by previous vaccination);
exacerbation of chronic diseases or the presence of acute diseases;
immunodeficiencies (AIDS, HIV).

Every child needs to be vaccinated, but taking into account his individual characteristics. During breastfeeding or pregnancy, a woman can be vaccinated against polio, if necessary. Each parent decides for himself whether to vaccinate his child against polio. But it’s still better to overcome your fears and protect your baby from such a dangerous disease through timely vaccination.

Many young parents do not know what the polio vaccine is, the reaction to it and the consequences. They are tormented by many unanswerable questions about this disease: how can one become infected with it? Is the polio vaccine dangerous and its consequences?

Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease caused by several types of virus. The main pathogens are intestinal viruses located in the external environment.

They are resistant to freezing and die immediately when heated for a long time. Nowadays it is difficult to get sick, but often the virus comes to us from countries where vaccination is not carried out. The risk of contracting the disease increases:

in summer;
if your hands are dirty;
if you eat uncleaned and unwashed foods.

How is the virus transmitted? This happens in the following ways:

airborne (conversation, saliva, breathing, nasal discharge);
fecal-oral;
absorption of dirty food and water.

Once in the body, it multiplies in the intestines. Then the blood carries it to all organs, primarily affecting, as a rule, the nervous system. This, as a result, leads to irreversible paralysis. If the respiratory system is affected, the consequences are even worse.

The main audience of patients is children under 5 years of age. The virus is very resistant. Due to violation of the timing and technique of vaccination, an epidemic occurs.

In the mid-twentieth century, the disease affected many people. There was a high mortality rate, and those who survived suffered complications, remaining incurably disabled. Today, treatment gives good results, and to help it, preventive vaccination of children is carried out.

In abandoned corners of the world there is still a “wild virus” that can enter “civilization” through doctors, reporters, and rescuers. The source of infection is always considered to be a sick person, and the disease is transmitted through water, food and various objects.

Those who are not vaccinated get sick, and the infection spreads very quickly. One of its severe complications is paralysis.

During the disease, there are signs that resemble other diseases, and this makes correct diagnosis difficult.
The first stage is incubation. Duration – 10 – 12 days. During the incubation period, symptoms do not appear.

Second stage. Periods:

preparalytic;
paralytic;
restorative;
period of residual effects.

Pre-paralytic. The temperature rises, a runny nose, cough and other signs of acute respiratory infections, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation begin. The first changes in the nervous system may begin. Towards the end of this period the temperature drops.
Paralytic. The main symptom at this time is mild paralysis, usually in the legs. Mostly they start in the morning. The limbs become pale and cold. In rare cases, symptoms manifest themselves in the absence of facial expressions.

In mild forms, all symptoms disappear completely. Severe cases are accompanied by complications, which can result in disability. But in the modern world, severe forms of polio are rare, thanks to the fact that children are vaccinated in a timely manner.

Two drugs are used for vaccination:

Oral live polio vaccine. It is dripped into the mouth.
Inactivated polio vaccine containing killed virus. Administered in the form of an injection.

These vaccines protect against types 1, 2 and 3 of the disease.

The schedule according to which the vaccination is given:

The first vaccination against infection is done when the child is three months old;
the second vaccination is given at four and a half months;
the third is carried out for prevention with live vaccines at six months;

And then revaccination is carried out at 18, 20 months and at 14 years.

Types of vaccines:

Pentaxim is a vaccination against whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, polio and hemophilus influenzae. They give an injection. Manufacturer France.
Tetraxim – prevention of whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, polio. Manufacturer France.
Infanrix Hexa – whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, invasive infection. It is given in the form of an injection. Belgium.
Infanrix Penta – whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B. Belgium.
Poliorix is an inactivated vaccine. Belgium.

Before the first vaccination, you must consult a neurologist and get tested. If your child has allergies, first discuss with your doctor what allergy medications you will use. Buy something for fever - in your baby it may be a reaction to vaccination.

Do not introduce new complementary foods; allergies may develop. Before vaccination, measure your baby's temperature. If it is, the vaccine should not be administered under any circumstances. Vaccination is carried out by injection or drops in the mouth. Usually two drops are dropped, but if the baby burps, the procedure is repeated.

Typically, there is no reaction to oral live polio vaccine. In rare cases, there may be side effects such as fever. Very young children very rarely experience diarrhea, which will persist for one to two days. Such reactions are not considered a complication.

OPV remains in the intestines for up to one month and during this time immunity is developed almost the same as after suffering from the disease. In this case, the virus does not enter the body. Protective cells are formed that recognize and destroy it.

Another important property of a live vaccine is that while it functions in the intestines, the wild virus does not enter the body. In regions where this infection exists, a newborn is vaccinated immediately in the maternity hospital with a live vaccine, and it protects the baby in the first month of life.

Then, when he is two months old, the first infectious dose is administered and then vaccinated according to schedule. The live vaccine against this disease stimulates the synthesis of interferon and therefore may protect against influenza.

The only serious complication that vaccination can cause is (VAP). The disease most often appears when the first vaccination is given to a baby born with immunodeficiency, gastrointestinal defect (congenital) or AIDS. In other cases, complications do not appear. Children who have had VAP should continue to receive vaccinations against this deadly disease, but only with the inactivated polio vaccine.

Positive and negative sides

The medicine is available in doses. Babies up to eighteen months are given an injection in one of the thighs, and older ones - in the shoulder. After vaccination, five percent experience a local reaction to the injection in the form of redness, but this is not considered a complication.

Four percent of those vaccinated experience minor side effects, such as fever, which persist for two days after vaccination. In response to the introduction of this virus, blood antibodies appear in the baby’s body, which are unable to synthesize cells that kill viruses with the underlying pathogen.

This is a very big disadvantage of the inactivated vaccine. There are no contraindications for IPV, and it is vaccinated even in children with immunodeficiency. Sometimes allergic reactions can be complications of IPV.

Unvaccinated people suffering from immunodeficiency become infected and become ill from people who have long been vaccinated.

It is very dangerous when people with AIDS become infected with this infection.

Healthy people do not have to observe quarantine after vaccination; you can walk with your baby as usual.

When a baby is vaccinated against polio, the consequences should not pose any danger to his health if it is done correctly. It helps the still weak child’s body fight a serious illness. It will forever save the child from the disease, and the parents from the fears brought by the infection.

If you think that polio has been defeated, you are not entirely right. This disease, alas, leaves many children from Africa and Asia crippled, and in our latitudes, alas, there are epidemics. Vaccination is the only way to protect your children, and it is considered one of the most easily tolerated, but still, it also has side effects. But first things first.

Why is it dangerous and why vaccination is needed

Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by an enterovirus that affects the spinal cord in young children. As a result, paralysis develops, most affecting those muscles whose neurons are most affected by the virus. Most often, this disease develops in babies 5-6 months old, so the vaccine should be administered at a very early age.

The virus itself belongs to the enteroviruses, that is, it lives only in the intestines and to the picornavirus family, it has one RNA chain and a protein shell. Poliomyelitis is caused by three strains, which, when they enter the body, begin their reproduction in the tonsils, after which they penetrate the spinal cord and destroys motor neurons and atrophies muscles. This virus is quite tenacious and persists in water, milk and feces for about six months. At an early stage, polio has the following symptoms:

Disorders of housing and communal services;
Heat;
Headache;
Weakness;
Convulsive seizures.

At the beginning of the last century, polio became a real epidemic, and only a vaccine invented by American scientists could stop it. This vaccine contains all three known strains of the virus, and its side effects are mild.

The vaccine can be oral, which contains live viruses, and in the form of an inoculation, in which the virus is inactivated. The oral vaccine is considered more effective, but it is not easy to store and may be regurgitated by a small child.

The most popular vaccinations and vaccinations are:

Poliorix. A French vaccine, the side effects of which are minimal, so it can be used even for children with weak immunity;
Imovax polio is a vaccine from Belgium, similar to poliorix;
Pentaxim is a complex vaccination that protects against polio, DPT and Haemophilus influenzae infection;
Tetrakok is a French vaccine, the side effects of which are minimal, because it does not contain merthiolate;

In Europe, by the way, live vaccines are not used.

Vaccinations begin for babies at three months, and it is better to start with an oral vaccine.

Contraindications and preparation for the vaccine

The polio vaccine is considered safe, but it still has contraindications and side effects.

Contraindications include:

Immunodeficiency;
Neurological disorders;
Acute diseases or exacerbation of chronic ones;
Neoplasms;
Malformations of the digestive organs;
Taking drugs that suppress the immune system;
Allergies.

Like any other vaccinations, this one cannot be given if the baby has recently experienced a serious illness or the reaction to a previous vaccination was negative.

To prevent side effects from making themselves felt, the baby needs to be prepared for vaccination.

Be sure to take a general urine and blood test a couple of days before vaccination. You also need to give your child antihistamines for two or three days.

If the child is very young, you should not give him new foods as complementary foods before vaccination. In addition, make sure that your first aid kit contains the usual medications that reduce fever and allergy medications. If you choose a live virus instead of a polio vaccine, your baby should not be fed or watered for two hours after receiving it. If the child burps, the vaccine is given again.

Side effects

Side effects are not very common, but they can happen.

So, after vaccination, the baby’s temperature may rise. This can happen either in a day or two, or in a week or two.

There may also be redness, swelling, or pain at the injection site. But they too pass.

In addition, vaccination can cause allergies. If your baby is predisposed to such reactions, it is very important to keep an antihistamine on hand.

It is extremely rare to experience seizures or even paralysis. Sometimes they occur simply against the background of high temperature.

Even less commonly, VAP, that is, vaccine-associated polio, can occur. VAP can occur if the child has an immunodeficiency or if a vaccinated child has been in contact with an unvaccinated child. But this is a rare occurrence in any case. And yet, do not leave the hospital immediately after vaccination - it is better to watch the baby for thirty to forty minutes than to rush headlong to the hospital again. And for the next few days, monitor the child’s condition as closely as possible.

Vaccination will protect your child from polio. Frequency of polio vaccination How and where to get vaccinated against polio: rules for vaccination