Oakland County Health Division Offering Free Polio Vaccine

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — Oakland County residents who are not up-to-date on their polio vaccine can get the shot for free at Oakland County Health Division offices starting Monday, Dec. 12.

No appointments are required for the polio vaccine at the Pontiac and Southfield health division offices, which are open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

"Thanks to a successful vaccination program, most people in the U.S are protected from polio," Oakland County Health Officer Calandra Green said. "People who are not vaccinated or who haven't received all recommended doses, however, may be at risk of getting polio. By removing the cost of the vaccine, we've made it easier for everyone to receive their needed doses and to gain protection."

The United States is now considered a country with circulating poliovirus because of the one confirmed case in another state earlier this year. Polio was considered eliminated in the United States since 1979.

The number of children completing their core series of vaccines (including polio vaccine) has declined the past few years, which creates more opportunity for vaccine preventable diseases to spread in the community, according to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Parents can contact their child's healthcare provider to ensure they are up-to-date on the polio vaccine. Adults who have not completed their IPV series are encouraged to get fully vaccinated. Those who are unsure of their vaccination status may find their vaccination record by going to https://mdhhsmiimmsportal.state.mi.us/.

There is no cure for polio but preventing the spread of polio is possible through safe and effective vaccination. Inactivated Polio Virus (IPV) – the only polio vaccine available in the U.S. – is safe and contains no live virus. The CDC recommends that children get four doses of IPV, with one dose at each of the following ages:

• 2 months old
• 4 months old
• 6 through 18 months old
• 4 through 6 years old
• Children who will be traveling to a country where the risk of getting polio is high should complete the series before leaving for their trip.

Although polio is very contagious, not everyone infected with poliovirus will show symptoms, and the most common symptoms are sore throat, fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, and stomach pain. In more severe cases, polio can result in meningitis and paralysis which can lead to death.

Poliovirus spreads from person-to-person through contact with the feces (often tiny, invisible amounts) from an infected person. Less often, it can spread through the sneeze or cough droplets from an infected person. Before the polio vaccine was available, polio outbreaks caused more than 15,000 cases of paralysis each year.