What vaccination recommendations should I provide to patients with a history of polio to prevent future infections?

Patients with a history of polio should be advised to maintain up-to-date poliovirus immunisation according to the UK routine immunisation schedule to prevent future infections. This includes receiving inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) boosters as recommended, since natural infection does not guarantee lifelong immunity and vaccination remains the most effective preventive measure ¹.

Healthcare providers should opportunistically check vaccination status during consultations and offer any outstanding polio vaccinations immediately or arrange follow-up appointments to complete the immunisation series ¹.

Accurate recording of vaccination details, including consent, vaccine type, batch number, and administration date, is essential to ensure proper follow-up and monitoring ¹.

Recent clinical evidence supports the immunogenicity and safety of bivalent oral poliovirus vaccines targeting types 1 and 3, which may be considered in specific vaccination schedules, although the UK primarily uses IPV for routine immunisation to avoid risks associated with live oral vaccines (Qiu et al., 2017).

In summary, patients with prior polio should be encouraged to complete or update their IPV vaccination series as per NHS guidelines, with healthcare providers ensuring systematic identification, invitation, and recording of vaccinations to maintain immunity and prevent reinfection ¹ (Qiu et al., 2017).