What the Polio vaccine protects against
A virus that usually causes a mild illness but in a small number of cases attacks the nervous system, causing permanent paralysis - sometimes of the muscles used to breathe.
Also known as: IPV (injected), OPV (oral drops)
Why children are given it
Polio has been eliminated from almost the entire world by vaccination but still circulates in a few areas and has been detected in sewage in cities that thought it was gone. High vaccination keeps it out.
From each country's official schedule, checked against its sources (last full check 2026-09-16). Tap a country for its whole schedule and a personalised timeline.
| Country | Routine doses |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 8 weeks (1st of 4) 6-in-1 vaccine (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB) 12 weeks (2nd of 4) 6-in-1 vaccine (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB) 16 weeks (3rd of 4) 6-in-1 vaccine (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB) 18 months (4th of 4 (booster)) 6-in-1 vaccine (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB) 3 years 4 months (Pre-school booster) 4-in-1 pre-school booster (DTaP/IPV) 14 years (school year 9) (Teenage booster)
3-in-1 teenage booster (Td/IPV) |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 2 months (1st of 4) Inactivated polio (IPV) 4 months (2nd of 4) Inactivated polio (IPV) 6 months (3rd doses, 6-18 mo) Hib / IPV / HepB (3rd doses) 4 to 6 years (4th of 4)
Inactivated polio (IPV) |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 2 months (1st of 3-4) DTaP-IPV-Hib (5-in-1) 4 months (2nd) DTaP-IPV-Hib (5-in-1) 6 months (3rd) DTaP-IPV-Hib (5-in-1) 18 months (4th (booster)) DTaP-IPV-Hib (5-in-1) 4 to 6 years (Pre-school booster)
Tdap-IPV (4-in-1 pre-school booster) |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 2 months (from 6 weeks) (1st of 3) Hexavalent (DTPa-hepB-IPV-Hib) 4 months (2nd of 3) Hexavalent (DTPa-hepB-IPV-Hib) 6 months (3rd of 3) Hexavalent (DTPa-hepB-IPV-Hib) 4 years (Pre-school booster)
DTPa-IPV (4-in-1 booster) |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | Birth (Birth dose) Oral polio vaccine (bOPV 0) 6 weeks (1st of 4) Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 6 weeks (2nd polio dose) Oral polio vaccine (bOPV) 10 weeks (2nd of 4) Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 14 weeks (3rd of 4) Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 18 months (4th of 4 (booster))
Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) booster |
| 🇮🇳 India | Birth (Birth dose) Oral polio vaccine (OPV-0) 6 weeks (1st of 3) Oral polio vaccine (OPV-1) 6 weeks (1st of 2) Fractional IPV (fIPV-1) 10 weeks (2nd of 3) Oral polio vaccine (OPV-2) 14 weeks (3rd of 3) Oral polio vaccine (OPV-3) 14 weeks (2nd of 2) Fractional IPV (fIPV-2) 16 to 24 months (Booster)
Oral polio vaccine booster |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | 3 months (1st of 3) Inactivated polio (IPV) 4.5 months (2nd of 3) Inactivated polio (IPV) 6 months (3rd polio dose) Oral polio vaccine (OPV) 18 months (1st revaccination) Oral polio vaccine booster 20 months (2nd revaccination) Oral polio vaccine 14 years (3rd revaccination)
Oral polio vaccine |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 2 months (1st of 2 (+1)) Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 3 months (premature babies only) (Extra dose) Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 4 months (2nd of 2 (+1)) Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 11 months (3rd (booster)) Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) booster 12 to 14 years (2nd booster)
Tdap-IPV (tetanus-diphtheria-whooping cough-polio) |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 2 months (1st of 4) 6-in-1 (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB) 4 months (2nd of 4) 6-in-1 (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB) 6 months (3rd of 4) 6-in-1 (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB) 13 months (4th of 4 (booster)) 6-in-1 (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB) Junior infants (age 4-5, school) (Pre-school booster)
4-in-1 (DTaP/IPV) booster |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 6 weeks (1st of 3) Infanrix hexa (DTaP-IPV-HepB/Hib) 3 months (2nd of 3) Infanrix hexa (DTaP-IPV-HepB/Hib) 5 months (3rd of 3) Infanrix hexa (DTaP-IPV-HepB/Hib) 4 years (Pre-school booster)
Infanrix-IPV (DTaP-IPV) booster |
| 🇫🇷 France | 2 months (1st of 2 (+ booster)) Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 4 months (2nd of 2) Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 11 months (Booster (3rd)) Hexavalent (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) booster 6 years (Booster) DTaP-IPV booster 11 to 13 years (Booster)
dTcaP (reduced-dose tetanus-diphtheria-whooping cough-polio) |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 6 to 9 weeks (1st of 4) DKTP-Hib-HepB (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 3 months (2nd of 4) DKTP-Hib-HepB (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 5 months (3rd of 4) DKTP-Hib-HepB (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 12 months (4th of 4 (booster)) DKTP-Hib-HepB booster 14 years (School booster)
DT-IPV booster |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 2 months (1st of 3) VIP (inactivated polio) 4 months (2nd of 3) VIP (inactivated polio) 6 months (3rd of 3) VIP (inactivated polio) 15 months (Booster) VOP (oral polio) booster 4 years (Booster)
VOP (oral polio) booster |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 2 months (from 6 weeks) (1st of 4) 6-in-1 (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 4 months (2nd of 4) 6-in-1 (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 6 months (3rd of 4) 6-in-1 (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) 18 months (4th of 4 (booster)) 6-in-1 (DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB) booster Primary 5 (around 10-11 years, school) (School booster)
IPV (polio) booster |
Good to know
- Polio has been eliminated from almost the entire world by vaccination, but it still circulates in a few countries and has been found in sewage in cities that thought it was gone.
- Some countries use injected vaccine (IPV) only; others add oral drops (OPV) in campaigns.
- Polio protection is part of the 6-in-1 or 5-in-1 in infancy and the pre-school and teenage boosters.
Side effects: what is normal
- Most children are given polio vaccine inside a combination injection, so side effects are those of the combined vaccine: soreness where it was given and a mild fever.
- Oral polio drops (used in some countries alongside injections) very rarely cause side effects.
Most side effects are mild and pass within a day or two. Get medical advice straight away if your child has trouble breathing, swelling of the face or mouth, a fit, a temperature of 38°C or more in a baby under 3 months, or you are worried in any way. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Your doctor, nurse, health visitor or pharmacist can advise on your own child.
It depends on the country. Across the 14 countries that include it on their routine schedule, the first dose is given from Birth to 3 months. In the UK it is given at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, 18 months, 3 years 4 months, 14 years (school year 9). In the US it is given at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 4 to 6 years. The table on this page shows every country.
Routine schedules give 4 to 7 doses in childhood, depending on the country and the product used. Combination vaccines can mean one injection counts towards several diseases.
Yes - all 14 countries on this site include it on their routine childhood schedule, although the ages and number of doses differ.
Yes. Vaccines on the childhood schedule are given by age, not by sex - girls and boys receive the same doses at the same ages.
It is almost never too late to catch up, and a missed dose rarely means starting again - your doctor or nurse will continue from where your child left off. A few vaccines (such as rotavirus) have upper age limits. Contact your clinic to book a catch-up appointment.
- United Kingdom - NHS / UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
- United States - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / ACIP
- Canada - Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) / National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)
- Australia - Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care - National Immunisation Program (NIP)
- South Africa - National Department of Health - Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI-SA)
- India - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare - Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)
- Russia - Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation - National Preventive Vaccination Calendar
- Germany - Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute / ECDC
- Ireland - Health Service Executive (HSE) / National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC)
- New Zealand - Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora / Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC)
- France - Ministere de la Sante / Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS) - calendrier vaccinal
- Netherlands - RIVM - National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksvaccinatieprogramma)
- Brazil - Ministerio da Saude - Programa Nacional de Imunizacoes (PNI)
- Singapore - Ministry of Health (MOH) / Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) - National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS)
- NHS - NHS vaccinations and when to have them
- CDC - Possible side effects from vaccines
- WHO - Vaccines and immunization
How we research and check this information: our editorial policy.
More vaccine guides
MMR vaccine · Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine · 6-in-1 vaccine · Whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine · Hib vaccine · Hepatitis B vaccine · Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) · Rotavirus vaccine · MenB vaccine · MenACWY and MenC vaccines · HPV vaccine · Children's flu vaccine · BCG (tuberculosis) vaccine · Hepatitis A vaccine · RSV protection for babies
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