Question: We don’t think my dad ever got the polio vaccine. He was not born in the United States and doesn’t have any immunization records from early childhood. Can he get the polio vaccine now? If yes, where? We are worried about this because we have family in New York we visit every year.
Answer: Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated adults should catch up as soon as possible on their polio vaccinations, which usually are completed by age 6. Additionally, some adults who are vaccinated but at high risk of exposure may get a booster shot, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
You mentioned traveling to New York; as of Sept. 9, poliovirus had been detected in wastewater samples collected from New York City, Rockland County, Orange County, Sullivan County and Nassau County, according to that state’s Department of Health. New York’s governor declared a state of emergency to boost vaccination rates.
Here is information from the CDC or Hawaii’s Department of Health to answer your questions, as well as questions from other readers on the same topic:
>> Most U.S. adults are presumed to be immune to poliovirus because of routine childhood immunization that began around 1955. Hawaii has high vaccination rates for polio. The risk of exposure for most people in the U.S. is still low, the CDC says.
>> Adults who are unvaccinated or lack any documentation of previous polio vaccination should receive three doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), the CDC says. The first two doses are given one to two months apart and the third dose is given six to 12 months later. If an adult cannot complete that schedule before traveling to an area of increased risk, the CDC recommends an accelerated schedule (three doses of IPV administered at least four weeks apart). Read more at 808ne.ws/polrec.
>> Adults who had three or more doses of polio vaccine as a child and are at higher risk of exposure to poliovirus can get one lifetime booster dose of IPV.
>> An adult who thinks they need the polio vaccine should consult their health care provider. Some may need a prescription for the cost to be covered by insurance, while others may not need the shots after all if their doctor has a record of vaccination the patient had forgotten.
>> In the search for vaccination records, be sure to check personal paperwork and to ask knowledgeable family members for their recollections, as well as checking with your doctor and/or health insurance provider. Health care providers who have registered for access to the Hawaii Immunization Registry can use it to check a patient’s vaccination history, but most registry records are for children, adolescents and teens; HIR was established around 2008.
>> Polio vaccine is available for adults at some but not all Hawaii pharmacies. When we called around Friday, Walgreens and Safeway pharmacies had it, but five other places we checked, including Costco, CVS/Longs and Walmart pharmacies, did not. You can use the state’s list of COVID-19 vaccination sites at hawaiicovid19.com/ vaccine/as a reference list of pharmacies throughout Hawaii. However, you’ll need to call ahead or check online to find out whether your preferred location also offers polio vaccine. From our calls, we’d say it’s far less available.
This column focuses on polio vaccine for adults because that’s what readers asked about. However, it’s also important to note that polio vaccination is a crucial part of routine childhood immunizations to prevent paralytic disease that was a scourge before vaccines were developed.
The CDC recommends that children get four shots of polio vaccine, one dose at each of the following ages: 2 months old, 4 months old, 6 through 18 months old, and 4 through 6 years old. Only IPV is used in the United States. Children who are behind schedule also should catch up. Read more at 808ne.ws/polgen.
Auwe
Auwe to the beloved local diner who now automatically adds a 2% kitchen charge on their bill to “help recruit and retain their highly trained back-of-house staff and supports a sustainable compensation policy.” For heaven’s sake, just pay better wages to your own employees! Sustain your own compensation. The better alternative would be to increase the menu prices by 2%. Auto-tipping on takeout and surcharges are getting out of hand. I’ll take my business somewhere else.
— A reader
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
