A 30-year-old member asked:
Why is the oral polio vaccine better than another form?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Michael H. T. Siaanswered
Pediatrics 32 years experience
See below:: Opv is better at stopping the spread of the virus to others, but now that wild (natural) polio has been eliminated from the western hemisphere, this advantage is no longer a consideration in the United States. Ipv has been used exclusively in the United States since 2000. However, in other countries where wild polio is still a threat, OPV is still used.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. James Fergusonanswered
Pediatrics 47 years experience
Indirect effect: The oral vaccine virus is excreted in the stool of the recipient and helps inoculate some that do not receive the vaccine directly by indirect exposure. The enhanced killed vaccine we use in the US was adopted primarily because of the 2-3 cases of OPV related polio we had/yr in immune compromised kids.Our vaccine is quite effective and has no risk of producing a polio like illness.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
696 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Similar questions
A 33-year-old member asked:
Why is the oral polio vaccine better than the shot?
3 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Larry Lutwickanswered
Infectious Disease 50 years experience
Is it?: For the most part, there is no difference but the usa stopped using the oral vaccine because there was no polio except that caused by the oral vaccine.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Last updated May 14, 2017
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