CDC raises polio alert

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put a Level 2 polio notice on 32 destinations and told travelers to get their shots up to date before they go. (cdc.gov) The notice covers countries that detected poliovirus in people or sewage within the past 13 months, according to the CDC page updated regularly since September 26, 2022. The current list includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Israel, Gaza, Papua New Guinea and 25 other destinations. (cdc.gov) Level 2 on the CDC travel scale means “practice enhanced precautions,” not cancel your trip. The agency says children and adults should be current on routine polio vaccination before any international travel, and fully vaccinated adults going to a listed destination may get a single lifetime booster. (cdc.gov; cdc.gov) Polio is a virus that can attack the nervous system and, in rare cases, cause permanent paralysis or death. The CDC says most infected people do not feel sick, which is one reason the virus can spread before health officials detect it. (cdc.gov; cdc.gov) The travel alert reaches beyond countries with visible outbreaks because the CDC also counts environmental detections, including virus found in wastewater. That approach reflects a basic polio problem: transmission can continue quietly even when paralysis cases are rare. (cdc.gov; cdc.gov) For adults who never got polio vaccine, the CDC recommends a three-dose series, with the second dose 1 to 2 months after the first and the third 6 to 12 months later. If departure is sooner, the agency says an accelerated schedule of three inactivated polio vaccine doses at least four weeks apart can be used. (cdc.gov) For children, the standard U.S. schedule is four doses at 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months, and 4 to 6 years. The CDC says children traveling to higher-risk countries should finish the series before departure, or use an accelerated schedule starting at 6 weeks of age if needed. (cdc.gov) Some travelers may also face paperwork rules on the way out. The CDC says countries with increased polio risk can require proof of vaccination on the yellow International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, and World Health Organization guidance says long-term visitors staying more than four weeks may need a dose given 4 weeks to 12 months before departure. (cdc.gov; who.int) Polio was eliminated in the United States decades ago, but the CDC’s Yellow Book says New York identified a vaccine-derived polio case and silent community transmission in 2022. The agency’s current notice is aimed at keeping international travel from reopening the same path. (cdc.gov)