Polio Vaccines 2023

Polio Vaccines March 2023

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says polio is vaccine-preventable. Most countries recommend children get vaccinated against polio early in life. And 'anyone planning to travel internationally should confirm they are fully vaccinated against polio disease before visiting at-risk countries,' says the World Health Organization (WHO) International Travel and Health vaccine recommendations. 

As of March 28, 2023, the WHO's vaccine committee says residents (and visitors for more than four weeks) from infected areas should receive an additional dose of oral polio vaccine (OPV) or inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) within four weeks to 12 months of travel. And now recommends that the nOPV2 vaccine be the preferred polio vaccine of choice when responding to circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 outbreaks.

Polio Vaccines U.S.

The U.S. CDC updated the pediatric and adult polio vaccination schedules in February 2023. On February 23, 2023, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) considered: 1) Whether more specific guidance on adult vaccination, including the use of adult booster doses, can be provided in the context of circulating poliovirus. 2) Whether adults who are immunocompromised should be recommended an additional adult booster of a polio-containing vaccine. 3) Whether fractional doses of IPV (fIPV), as prequalified by WHO, should meet polio vaccination requirements, including for people immigrating to the U.S. 4) Consider criteria under which novel Oral Polio Vaccine type 2 might be used in areas with outbreaks or persistent circulation of poliovirus.

WHO Prequalified Polio Vaccines 2023

nOPV2 Polio vaccine is derived from the live, infectious virus. The nOPV2 vaccine is unavailable in the U.S., but about 600 million doses have been administered across 28 countries since 2022.

Eupolio is the first attenuated Sabin-IPV to obtain WHO prequalification. The main advantage is a lower biosafety risk.

SINOVAC's sIPV polio vaccine is WHO-approved for children to prevent poliomyelitis from infection of types I, II, and III polioviruses.

Polio Vaccinations U.K.

The U.K. Health Services Agency (UKHSA) confirmed an Inactivated Polio Vaccine Booster campaign was launched in London targeting children aged 1 to 9 on September 29, 2022. The polio vaccine is part of the NHS childhood vaccination schedule. It's given when children are 8, 12, and 16 weeks old as part of the 6-in-1 vaccine; then at three years and four months old as part of the 4-in-1 (DTaP/IPV) pre-school booster, and at 14 years old as part of the 3-in-1 (Td/IPV) teenage booster. In the U.K., children need all these vaccinations to be fully vaccinated against polio.

Polio Vaccinations Israel

In March 2023, the state of New York recommended travelers to Israel ensure they are fully vaccinated against polio. As a result, under guidance from the Consultant Committee on Poliovirus, the Israeli Ministry of Health launched Operation 2-Drops in April 2022 for additional polio vaccinations for about two million children aged six weeks until 17 years. However, as of March 2023, about 150,000 children in Isreal remain unvaccinated against poliovirus.

Polio Vaccinations in the Americas

And the Pan America Health Organization (PAHO) confirmed on September 21, 2022, vaccination coverage has fallen below 80% in nearly all of South America, and 12 countries (Brazil) in the region are at High or Very High risk of experiencing a polio outbreak.

Polio Outbreaks 2023

During 2023, various countries have confirmed polio outbreaks. Poliovirus has been around since ancient times.

Note: This content has been aggregated from the CDC, WHO, and pharmaceutical vaccine producers and reviewed by healthcare providers, such as Dr. Bob Carlson.