Top of Page. Two types of vaccine protect against polio: oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) (given as an injection in the leg or arm, depending on the patient's age). Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease.It is caused by the poliovirus.The virus spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person’s brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis (can’t move parts of the body).t is caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person’s brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis (can’t move parts of the body).