{"id":8186,"date":"2019-07-31T07:15:39","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T07:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=8186"},"modified":"2021-11-09T14:11:35","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T14:11:35","slug":"14-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-polio-vaccine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/14-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-polio-vaccine\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Polio Vaccine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Polio used to be one of the most feared diseases around, although the same isn\u2019t true today \u2013 and the number of polio cases that get diagnosed around the world every year has gotten considerably less in recent decades. While there are still some parts of the world that are considered a higher risk for exposure to polio, great parts of the world have eradicated the condition almost entirely.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can thank the creator of the polio vaccine (or more accurately, polio vaccines) for reducing the number of infections that are reported every year, although there are still many people who find themselves opposed to the polio vaccine or vaccinations in general because of fear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the fear about vaccinations are unfounded and arise from a lack of information or the wrong information in the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 8 things you probably didn\u2019t know about the polio vaccine before now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. It\u2019s not one polio vaccine, but two.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even though people spend a lot of time talking about the polio vaccine, it\u2019s not really one single vaccination <\/a>that they\u2019re talking about, but two \u2013 and these two polio vaccines are essential for guarding against the condition if you are ever exposed to it. These vaccinations are important because they\u2019ve managed to bring down the rate of infections by as little as only a handful of isolated incidents per year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two forms of polio vaccinations include the inactivated polio vaccination, and what\u2019s called the attenuated form of polio vaccination. In some cases, the attenuated form of polio vaccination has been proven to be responsible for a broader immunity \u2013 and this vaccination only costs an estimated $25 to $50 to produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When people say \u201cpolio vaccination\u201d, remember that there are follow-ups needed \u2013 and remember that there\u2019s more than one type of vaccine. It could just save your life if you\u2019re ever exposed to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. WHO considers it one of the essential medicines.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The World Health Organization functions as one of the worldwide watchdog organizations for the healthcare industry, and for this, they\u2019ve set up a list of essential medicines that are recommended for the inventory of every country in order to keep their people healthy \u2013 and the very essential polio vaccination happens to be on the list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other essential medications also on the list include things like ARV medication and general painkillers <\/a>such as paracetamol and aspirin; these are medications that can be applied to a broad range of healthcare uses and are therefore considered to be some of the most essential ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the fact that WHO has it listed on their catalog of essential medications, access to the polio vaccine has gotten much easier over time, which in turn means that the number of cases has been able to be greatly reduced to the point where we no longer see the large-scale polio outbreaks that we used to a few decades back. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Follow-up doses are needed.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have you been adequately vaccinated? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of people might imagine vaccinations <\/a>to be the kind of thing that you only get once and then never have to think about again, but this isn\u2019t always true \u2013 and this certainly isn\u2019t true when we\u2019re talking about the polio vaccine. Often just one administration of the polio vaccine isn\u2019t enough to make a difference, and the immune system only responds to the vaccination by the second or third dosage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow-up dosages are needed when it comes to vaccinations against polio, and the first thing you should do at your vaccination appointment is to find out whether another appointment is going to be needed \u2013 and when. If you haven\u2019t gotten all of the necessary vaccinations in the right order, especially when traveling, then you could be putting yourself and other people around you at unnecessary risk without even realizing that you\u2019re doing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Side-effects are very rare.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are a lot of horror stories out there that relate to vaccines <\/a>and vaccinations, including stories of childhood cancer triggered by vaccinations \u2013 or diseases that were kickstarted by the vaccinations \u2013 but you\u2019ll be glad to know that most of these stories are exactly that: Just stories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though you might have read across a story about vaccination side-effects before, you\u2019ll be glad to know that side-effects due to vaccinations aren\u2019t nearly as bad as the anti-vaccine movement makes it look (in fact, side-effects, in reality, are almost none), and any other ill effects from vaccinations are exceptionally rare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just how rare? Only about 3 per million cases will ever show any side effects as a result of the vaccine. These are much better odds compared to the chances of contracting a condition such as polio if you aren\u2019t vaccinated against it: It\u2019s always better to get vaccinated \u2013 for your own safety and that of others!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. There\u2019s a lot of stigma surrounding vaccinations.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The anti-vaccination movement has done a lot of damage across the world when it comes to how many people are willing to be vaccinated, and a lot of completely unfounded stigma surrounding vaccinations has appeared all over the internet as a result. Most of this can be safely ignored as you scroll through your timeline, but the effect that this could have on worldwide health cannot \u2013 all of the stigma surrounding vaccinations has only meant that people don\u2019t vaccinate, and this far too soon leads up to outbreaks <\/a>of a disease that used to be eradicated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stigma surrounding vaccinations includes some of the horror stories we\u2019ve talked about above, but also includes fear \u2013 sometimes religious or spiritual in nature, and other times related to some conspiracy that vaccinations are related to some governmental underground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put simply, the best thing possible is to skip out on the stigma and get vaccinated \u2013 it\u2019s the responsible thing to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Vaccines do not cause infertility.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of myths out there surrounding the polio vaccination, and one of the worst possible myths is the idea that vaccines cause infertility. There are several reasons as to why people started to think this in the first place, one of which is the idea that vaccines are really part of some government conspiracy to render people infertile \u2013 and it doesn\u2019t take a lot to establish that this is a complete myth with no basis in reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, vaccines don\u2019t cause infertility<\/a>, nor do they affect your fertility rate. Not at any point and not at any time. That\u2019s just not the way they work. Being affected by any diseases that you should have been vaccinated against can likely affect your fertility rate more than just getting vaccinated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the fears behind vaccines, especially polio vaccines, are unfounded and baseless. See your nearest hospital or doctor to find out more about vaccinations, especially before choosing to travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Cases are increasing.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The fear and stigma that surrounds having yourself vaccinated against conditions like polio have caused a considerable amount of damage to world healthcare, and it\u2019s made that a lot of people form anti-vaccination movements that decide to group together without vaccinating \u2013 and this has only put a bunch of high-risk people in the same room with one another, with nobody vaccinated against common conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How could this go wrong? Worldwide reported cases of conditions like polio and rubella <\/a>are increasing, and it can be directly tied to worldwide efforts for people to stop vaccinating. The anti-vaccination movement can be a dangerous one! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vaccinating is the responsible thing to do, and it does a lot more than just keep you safe: It keeps everyone around you safe at the same time and ensures that diseases like polio can be successfully eradicated in most parts of the world before isolated outbreaks occur again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Not vaccinating can be dangerous to you and other people.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t vaccinate, then it means that you aren\u2019t protected against that specific disease if you ever were to get exposed to it. Most of the diseases that we vaccinate against (apart from flu<\/a>) are very serious ones, and these are the type of diseases that spread quickly \u2013 and can have a very low survival rate should they start affecting people. But not vaccinating also means a whole lot more than just this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t vaccinate yourself and family-like advised by the World Health Organization, then it could put other people around you at risk \u2013 and entire towns, cities, and countries are put at an increased risk of an outbreak in their country just because a handful of people didn\u2019t vaccinate and then interacted with other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This presents a huge risk for any country, and points to why vaccinations are so vitally important \u2013 and why the World Health Organization exists in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. The Polio Vaccine is an Established Science<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Developed by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1955, the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) Polio vaccine helped save millions of lives from the global pandemic<\/a>. Six years later saw the introduction of the live attenuated Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), developed by Dr. Albert Sabin in 1961.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The introduction of the Polio vaccines stopped a global pandemic responsible for maiming millions of people around the world. Most of the children inoculated with the OPV or IPV vaccine experienced full protection against the virus causing the disease. However, like with any other vaccine, there are complications in a small percentage of individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the vaccine’s response was overwhelmingly supportive, and medical science managed to eradicate the Poliovirus within a single generation, thanks to vaccine technology. Without the Polio vaccine, experts estimate most of the population would eventually experience an infection with this highly contagious pathogen. Fortunately, modern medical science experienced a victory over the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Who Needs the Polio Vaccine?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Children in the US should receive vaccination against Polio with the IPV vaccine. Children require four doses to achieve full immunity<\/a> to the disease. Doctors inoculate children against Polio or poliomyelitis on the following schedule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n