Polio booster - is it necessary?

[duvets3]

My DS is 2.5 years old. He is up to date with all his routine vaccines, but we’ve now been offered a polio booster in addition to everything else. It’s because we live in London apparently and polio is on the rise here - or at least it was. I haven’t seen anything in the news about it for a while.

Is it really necessary for him to have this extra jab on top of everything else?

Does anyone know why polio has re-emerged?

I’d take the vaccine. Polio is a nasty disease, a little pin prick in his arm is nothing compared to the disease itself.

Polio killed several of my ancestors, all from the same family: a mother, her, sons and a daughter and five of her grandchildren within a fortnight. There was an outbreak in London at the turn of the 20th century.

It’s been found in sewage samples, taken from the river. Certain other countries use live virus in their vaccines, the virus is excreted in faeces which ends up in the sewage system. The U.K. doesn’t use live vaccine. So it’s come in via immigration or tourism.

All those patronising the OP - you’ve had your adult polio booster within the last ten years, have you? And your tetanus adult booster?

Yes

Omg yes! Polio is a very serious illness, you should protect your child.

I was a Guinea Pig for the vaccine back when polio was rife. My grandmother was a school nurse and if she had any vaccine left at the end of her working day I was given it. I've probably had more boosters than anyone in the world!

No side effects.

No, I didn't know you could, but if I was invited I would like a shot.

Will look into it now so thank you for the post

I had no idea these were available!

DS now booked in for his booster end of next week.

One of my older family members had polio as a child. I am paranoid about it.

It's not quite the same as an adult being proactive. The NHS has written directly to parents of DC in the relevant age groups suggesting they get them boosted for polio.