CDC issues a warning that certain international destinations have circulating poliovirus

Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC

Key points

  • Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus (listed below and shown in map).
  • Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines.
  • Before travel to any destination listed below, adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series may receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine.

What is the current situation?

The following destinations have circulating poliovirus (see map):

  • Afghanistan
  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cameroon
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Ethiopia
  • Finland
  • Gaza
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Israel
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Poland
  • Senegal
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Spain
  • Sudan
  • Tanzania
  • United Kingdom
  • Yemen
  • Zimbabwe

What can travelers do to prevent polio?

Get the polio vaccine

Children and adults should be up to date on their routine polio vaccines.

Adult travelers may get an inactivated polio vaccine booster if they:

  • are going to a destination that has circulating poliovirus;
  • have completed their routine polio vaccine series; and
  • have not already received one adult booster dose.

Clinician Information

Ensure that anyone unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated completes the routine polio vaccine series before international travel.

Additional Information

Traveler Information