The clinic's advice is particularly relevant for people who are travelling to settings with extremely poor hygiene (e.g. refugee camps), are likely to be in close proximity with cases (e.g. healthcare workers), and/or are visiting for six months or more.
Other shorter term travellers (four weeks to six months) to these countries should ensure that they are up to date with polio immunisation, including a booster if none has been received for ten years.
Poliomyelitis often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute, viral, infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route.
The exportation of wild poliovirus has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International concern and a coordinated international response has been called for.
All travellers should be provided with an International Certificate of Vaccination to record their polio vaccination and serve as proof of vaccination.
A significant number of people travel from the UK to these countries, in particular to Pakistan and Nigeria to visit family. Although it is not mandatory for UK travellers to receive polio vaccinations before travel to any of the polio affected countries, vaccination using injectable, inactivated polio vaccine (in combination with diphtheria and tetanus) and boosters are recommended 10 yearly for those at risk.
Oral polio vaccine is no longer available for routine use in the UK.
Contact us:
0845 5480 543 or
email: [email protected]
for appointments in Cambridge and Ipswich
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