Costs of vaccination

The polio vaccination costs about 20€ per injection. If you calculate with four vaccinations for the basic immunization and one for the booster, the total cost for the polio vaccination is about 100€. Since the implementation of the polio vaccination is recommended by the Standing Commission on Immunization, the costs for the individual partial vaccinations are completely covered by the respective health insurance company. Patients are exempt from co-payments for vaccinations until the age of 18, after which co-payments may be required in individual cases.

Side effects of the vaccination

The polio vaccine is usually administered as a sixfold vaccine as part of basic immunization. These are so-called dead vaccines, which means that they no longer contain any living components of the pathogens. Inactivated vaccines are considered to be safer than live vaccines.The six-fold vaccine is usually well tolerated.

If side effects occur, only mild local reactions such as reddening of the injection site or pain when moving the vaccinated arm are usually to be expected. In rare cases there is also a slight general reaction of the body with fever, fatigue, headache, swollen lymph nodes or gastrointestinal problems. These reactions typically subside after one to three days.

The side effects of a vaccination occur through the activation of the body’s own immune system, which reacts to the vaccine with a defensive reaction. This defensive reaction is desirable because the vaccination is intended to cause the body to produce antibodies so that the antibodies can be produced more quickly on renewed contact with the pathogen and the disease cannot break out. In individual cases, allergic reactions to the vaccine have been observed.

In some cases, the vaccination can lead to high fever, which can rise to over 39 degrees. The fever should subside after one to three days and is to be understood as a reaction of the immune system to the vaccine. Very rarely (less than one vaccinated child in 10,000), the rapid rise in temperature can lead to an uncomplicated fever spasm. In this case a doctor should be consulted for clarification.