IPV, or Inactivated Polio Vaccine (Given at Two Months)

The polio vaccine safeguards your child against polio, a highly contagious disease that can result in paralysis. It usually affects youngsters under the age of five. Though the disease has been mostly eradicated in the United States thanks to more than five decades of vaccination, it was extremely hazardous to children (and scary to parents) during its height in the 1950s. Polioviruses are typically present in the throat and digestive tract and can be easily transmitted from person to person.

The polio vaccine schedule calls for a shot at 2, 4, and 6 to 18 months, as well as a fourth shot between the ages of 4 and 6 years. If your child receives the third dose after the age of four, the fourth dose is not required. The polio vaccination is safe to provide in conjunction with other vaccines. It is also included in the DTaP and hepatitis B combo vaccine.