This report presents information on the status of the safety and use of polio vaccines in the United States. Topics discussed include: (1) the role of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in processing an inactivated polio vaccine license application; (2) the steps the federal government has taken to improve the safety of the vaccine; (3) the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee's basis for recommending the use of a live polio vaccine for routine childhood immunization; and (4) the steps required to make an inactivated polio vaccine the recomended one for children. (CB)