- Booster every 10 yearsAdvised for higher-risk adults, including travellers to countries with polio
- From age 5NSW pharmacists can vaccinate anyone aged 5 and over against polio
- No live virusThe vaccine used in Australia cannot give you polio
Why polio is still on the schedule
Polio is a viral infection that can cause paralysis and death. Australia and the rest of the Western Pacific region were declared polio-free in 2000. Even so, wild poliovirus can still be brought in from countries where it circulates, so vaccination has to continue until the disease is eradicated worldwide.
Most people who catch polio have no symptoms at all, yet anyone who is not immune can still spread it through faeces, coughs and sneezes. People hosting visitors from places where polio circulates can also be exposed if they lack immunity.
Of the three wild types, only type 1 remains. Some overseas countries still use a live oral vaccine, and in rare cases, where sanitation is poor and vaccination coverage is low, that weakened virus can change and spread between people.
Adults who need a polio vaccine
The Handbook recommends a polio booster dose every 10 years for:
- travellers to areas or countries where people are infected with polio
- healthcare workers who may have contact with people with polio
- laboratory workers handling specimens that may contain poliovirus
Adults who never had a polio vaccine are advised to complete a three-dose primary course. The Handbook puts it plainly: no adult should remain unvaccinated. For trips, our travel vaccinations page lists the other protection to consider.
Checking what you had as a child
The childhood schedule includes polio doses at 2, 4 and 6 months and again at 4 years. If you are not sure you received them, look up your record on the Australian Immunisation Register. People under 20 who missed out, along with refugees and humanitarian entrants of any age, can have free catch-up doses.
One injection, sometimes combined
In Australia, polio vaccines were once given as drops in the mouth; today they are all injections. Australia uses an inactivated polio vaccine made from a killed virus, which is why it cannot cause the disease.
If you are also due for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough protection, a combined dTpa-IPV vaccine covers all four in one needle. Our whooping cough vaccine page explains that side of it.
Polio vaccine is not generally recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and people who reacted with anaphylaxis to an earlier polio vaccine, or to any of its ingredients, should not have it. Tell the pharmacist about either before your injection.
Questions about polio boosters
Will I need a polio certificate at the border?
Not routinely. International rules do not require proof of polio vaccination, but the World Health Organization can recommend temporary requirements when poliovirus spreads, so check the current rules for each country on your route.
What if I get sick after coming home?
Fever, headache, severe muscle pain, a stiff neck or weakness in the arms or legs after visiting a country with polio needs prompt care. Contact your doctor or go to an emergency department and name the country you visited. Call Triple Zero (000) for any trouble breathing.
For flu, COVID-19 and every other vaccine we offer, head to our Abermain vaccination hub.
Get your polio booster
Walk in to Abermain Chemist during weekday store hours, or phone ahead to confirm a pharmacist immuniser is on duty. Bring your vaccination history if you have it, so the pharmacist can see how many doses you have already had.