Oral Polio Vaccine Versus Inactive Polio Vaccine: Risks and Benefits

Even with proper vaccinations, children are still at risk for acquiring disease and illnesses. While polio has long been considered eradicated from the U.S. population, there are still reported cases of polio each year.

Known as VAPP, or vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis, children who obtain a polio vaccine are at risk for developing a polio-like complication. Often, this complication is the result of what is known as the oral poliovirus vaccine, or OPV.

While children were once given an option for an inactive poliovirus vaccine, IPV, rather than an oral poliovirus vaccine, OPV, the option to use OPV has been more commonly used due to the lifetime protection of greater than 95 percent. In fact, OPV is considered far more effective that the World Health Organization promotes its use.

The risk with OPV lies in the secondary risk for transmission of the poliovirus. While there are very few cases of the development of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis, VAPP, the risk is still present and is not found in the IPV risk.

So, how do you know if your child has developed VAPP after receiving an oral poliovirus vaccine? There are a variety of complications that a child with VAPP may experience. In most cases, the complications are classified as "subclinical" meaning the complications may be indicative of a minor infection, such as flu-type symptoms and fever. Beyond "subclinical" complications, some children may experience a full viral-like illness but recovery within a week or so without any further complication.

When developing VAPP, a child may present with symptoms of meningitis that is has not affected or produced paralysis. When complications of paralysis become evident, the diagnosis of VAPP is usually made. Once VAPP has developed, the paralysis and associated complications are irreversible.