Components of the Polio Vaccine
The killed polio vaccine is made from virus grown in monkey kidney cells and cultured in bovine blood. The live virus is then killed by the chemical formaldehyde. The viral particles subsequently undergo many rounds of purification to filter out the formaldehyde and other organic components, and the vaccine is preserved with an alcohol: 2-phenoxyethanol. Two antibiotics — streptomycin and neomycin — are added in the vaccine during storage and transport to prevent bacterial contamination of the vaccine. The vaccine does not contain the mercury-based preservative thimerosal. The oral live polio vaccine is no longer used in the United States.
Alert
If your child is allergic to the antibiotics streptomycin and neomycin (common ingredients in antibiotic ear drops), your child may not be able to receive the killed polio vaccine. Talk to your pediatrician to find out whether this may be a problem for your child.
