Polio vaccine

Definition

The polio vaccine is a biological preparation that provides immunity against poliomyelitis, an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. It comes in two forms: inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV).

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Jonas Salk developed the first successful polio vaccine, IPV, in 1955.
2. Albert Sabin developed the OPV, which was first used in 1961.
3. IPV contains an inactivated virus that cannot cause disease, while OPV contains a live attenuated virus.
4. Polio vaccines have drastically reduced global cases of poliomyelitis, leading to near eradication of the disease.
5. The OPV can rarely cause vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV), a risk not associated with IPV.

Review Questions

• Who developed the first successful polio vaccine and what type was it?
• What are the main differences between IPV and OPV?
• How has the global incidence of poliomyelitis changed since the introduction of polio vaccines?

Related terms

poliomyelitis: An infectious disease caused by the poliovirus that can lead to paralysis.

vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV): A rare strain of poliovirus that can emerge from the oral polio vaccine.

attenuated virus: A weakened form of a virus used in some vaccines to provoke an immune response without causing disease.