The United States has issued a travel warning for Americans traveling to five countries.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an update to its global travel alert that polio is circulating in Finland, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Kenya. The CDC added those countries to a list that includes more than 30 others with poliovirus cases in the past year.
“Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines,” the CDC said. “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.”
The advisory classifies the polio virus as “Level 2,” which encourages travelers to “practice enhanced precautions.”
The CDC describes polio as a crippling and potentially deadly disease that affects the nervous system. Most people with polio do not feel sick or suffer minor symptoms, such as fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, stiffness in the neck and back, and pain in the arms and legs. In rare cases, polio causes permanent loss of muscle function (paralysis) and can be fatal if the muscles used for breathing are paralyzed or if there is an infection of the brain.
Besides getting vaccinated, the CDC urged travelers to wash their hands regularly and avoid contaminated water and foods.
“Good hand washing practices can help prevent the spread of this disease. Because the virus that causes polio lives in the feces (poop) of an infected person, people infected with the disease can spread it to others when they do not wash their hands well after defecating (pooping),” the CDC said. “People can also be infected if they drink water or eat food contaminated with infected feces.”
According to the CDC, polio has been detected in the following countries over the past 12 months:
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Finland
- French Guiana
- Gaza
- Germany
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
- Poland
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- United Kingdom
- Yemen
- Zimbabwe
The CDC also monitors other global diseases including “Level 2″ concerns like chikungunya, diphtheria, mpox and yellow fever. “Level 1″ alerts, which encourage practicing “usual precautions,” include cases of measles, dengue, malaria, and salmonella.
No “Level 3″ or “4″ advisories are currently in place. “Level 3″ urges Americans to “Reconsider Nonessential Travel” and “Level 4″ says “Avoid All Travel.”
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