Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) Guidelines

General Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all children should receive four doses of IPV at ages 2, 4, 6-18 months, and 4-6 years 3, 4
The final dose of IPV should be administered at age ≥4 years regardless of the number of previous doses 5
The minimum intervals between doses of IPV are: 4 weeks between dose 1 and dose 2, 4 weeks between dose 2 and dose 3, and 6 months between dose 3 and dose 4 5

The CDC recommends IPV vaccination for travelers to areas or countries where polio is epidemic or endemic 1, 2
Members of communities or specific population groups with disease caused by wild polioviruses should receive IPV vaccination 1, 2
Laboratory workers who handle specimens that might contain polioviruses should receive IPV vaccination 1, 2
Healthcare workers who have close contact with patients who might be excreting wild polioviruses should receive IPV vaccination 1, 2

The primary series for unvaccinated adults consists of three doses of IPV 1, 2
The first two doses of IPV should be administered at intervals of 4-8 weeks, and the third dose should be administered 6-12 months after the second dose 1

IPV is well tolerated with no serious adverse events associated with its use 6, 1
IPV is contraindicated in persons with a history of hypersensitivity to any component of the vaccine, including 2-phenoxyethanol, formaldehyde, neomycin, streptomycin, and polymyxin B 6

There is no need to restart a vaccine series regardless of the time that has elapsed between doses 4
Adults without documentation of vaccination status should be considered unvaccinated 1
The risk of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) has been eliminated in the US with the transition from OPV to IPV 6