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How does the inactivated poliovirus vaccine produce protection against polio?

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Polio vaccine — polio A health care worker giving a polio vaccine to a child in Katsina state, Nigeria, 2014.

The inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), also known as the Salk vaccine, protects against polio by utilizing killed, or inactivated, poliovirus serotypes 1, 2, and 3.1

When administered by injection, the vaccine circulates through the bloodstream, where it triggers the production of antibodies against the active, or "wild," virus. These antibodies establish immune memory, which allows the body to recognize and respond to the virus more rapidly and effectively if exposed to it in the future. Because the virus in the vaccine is inactivated, it cannot cause the disease, making IPV a safe option that provides protection against paralysis without the risk of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) or vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV).12