Polio is an infection caused by a virus. Thanks to vaccination campaigns worldwide, the disease is almost eradicated, except in a few countries.

To avoid the virus spreading from these countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has imposed some extra preventive measures.

• All travelers (of all ages) staying more than 4 weeks in countries where WPV1, cVDPV1 or cVPDP3 exist, with risk of international diffusion, have to be vaccinated against polio. This vaccine has to be administered at least 4 weeks and maximum 12 months before leaving one of these countries. Administration of the vaccine has to be documented in the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (on the pages 4 and 5 reserved for mandatory vaccines):​
  • Afghanistan (WPV1)
  • Malaysia (cVDPV1)
  • Pakistan (WPV1)
  • Philippines (cVDPV1)
  • Yemen (cVDPV1)

• For all travelers staying more than 4 weeks in one of the following countries with risk of cVDPV2, with risk of international diffusion, this supplementary vaccine is recommended but not obliged. This concerns the following countries:
  • Angola
  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cameroon
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Ethiopia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea (Conakry)
  • Ivory Coast
  • Mali
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Sudan
  • Togo
  • Zambia

Possible vaccines

• Imovax® Polio
• Revaxis®
• Boostrix-Polio®
• Tetravac®
• Infanrix-IPV ®
• Hexyon®
• Infanrix-Hexa ®

Links

• International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis
• Polioeradication.org
• WHO: Polio emergency committee statement