Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) Availability in the United States
No, oral polio vaccine (OPV) is not available for routine use in the United States and has not been distributed here since January 1,2000. 1
Current U.S. Policy
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended exclusive use of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) beginning January 1,2000, to eliminate the risk of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP), a rare but serious condition caused by the live virus in OPV 1, 2. Since 1999, no OPV has been distributed in the United States 1.
Why the Switch Occurred
- The only indigenous polio cases in the U.S. since 1979 were caused by OPV itself, not wild poliovirus 2
- Between 1980-1994,119 of 127 paralytic polio cases in the U.S. were vaccine-associated (VAPP) cases linked to OPV use 3
- The risk-benefit calculation shifted once wild poliovirus was eliminated from the Western Hemisphere in 1994 2
Current Vaccination Schedule
All children in the United States should receive four doses of IPV at ages 2 months, 4 months, 6-18 months, and 4-6 years 1, 4, 3. This IPV-only schedule:
- Provides 99-100% seroconversion after three doses 2
- Eliminates VAPP risk entirely
- Maintains high population immunity against potential poliovirus importation 4
Global Context
While OPV is no longer used in the U.S., it remains important globally:
- OPV continues to be used internationally for polio eradication efforts, particularly in endemic countries 5, 6
- Trivalent OPV (tOPV) was globally replaced with bivalent OPV (bOPV) in April 2016 after type 2 wild poliovirus eradication 7
- Novel OPV type 2 (nOPV2) was developed and authorized in 2020 for outbreak response to address vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks 5, 8
Important Caveat for Travelers
Only trivalent OPV doses administered before April 1,2016, count toward U.S. vaccination requirements 9, 10. Doses of OPV administered at ≥6 weeks of age can be counted as valid for children vaccinated abroad 11, but children should complete their series with IPV in the U.S.
Bottom Line
OPV has been completely unavailable in the United States for over two decades. IPV is the only polio vaccine used for all routine immunization, outbreak response, and catch-up vaccination in this country 1, 3. This policy successfully eliminated VAPP while maintaining robust protection against polio importation.