What is the recommended oral polio vaccine (OPV) schedule, dosage, and contraindications for administering a live‑attenuated weakened poliovirus?

Give the live‑attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV) as the oral medication for a weakened polio virus. Use the standard pediatric schedule: administer 0.5 mL of the trivalent OPV (containing the three Sabin strains) orally at ages 2 months, 4 months, and a third dose between 6 and 12 months. Provide a booster dose of 0.5 mL at 4‑5 years of age (or later if the child is at continued risk). Ensure the child is healthy at the time of vaccination; do not give OPV to infants or children with severe immunodeficiency, known HIV infection with severe immunosuppression, or those who have received immunoglobulin within the previous 3 months. If the child cannot receive OPV because of immunocompromise, pregnancy, or severe allergy to vaccine components, use the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) given intramuscularly in the same age‑based series (typically 4 doses at 2,4,6–18 months, and a booster at 4‑6 years). Monitor for mild adverse effects such as low‑grade fever or transient gastrointestinal upset; rare vaccine‑associated paralytic poliomyelitis warrants immediate medical evaluation.