CDC issues travel advisory as polio spreads across 32 countries

CDC issues travel advisory as polio spreads across 32 countries

CDC issues travel advisory as polio spreads across 32 countries

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The advisory urges travellers to take extra health precautions when visiting affected areas where the highly infectious virus is still circulating

A Level 2 travel advisory has been issued by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) following the continued spread of polio across 32 countries worldwide, including over 20 in Africa.
The advisory urges travellers to take extra health precautions when visiting affected areas where the highly infectious virus is still circulating.
Several African countries have reported cases, including Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

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A Level 2 travel advisory means travellers should practice enhanced precautions when visiting affected countries. This includes ensuring vaccinations are up to date, observing strict hygiene practices such as frequent handwashing, and taking steps to avoid exposure to contaminated food or water.
“The CDC recommends that all travellers be fully vaccinated against polio before visiting countries where the virus is circulating,” the agency said, noting that adults who completed their childhood vaccination series may receive a single lifetime booster dose if they plan to travel to affected regions.
Polio is a highly infectious disease that attacks the nervous system and can lead to permanent paralysis.

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The virus spreads mainly through contact with infected faeces due to poor sanitation or inadequate handwashing, and it can also spread through contaminated food or water.
Beyond Africa, other countries affected by the outbreak include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Israel, and Gaza in the Middle East and Asia; Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom in Europe; India in South Asia; and Papua New Guinea in Oceania, underscoring the continued global risk posed by the virus.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects children under the age of five.
The virus attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours, and in severe cases, it can be fatal when it paralyses the muscles used for breathing.
Although many infected people show no symptoms, about one in every 200 infections leads to permanent paralysis, and among those paralysed, 5 to 10 per cent may die when their breathing muscles become immobilised.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), polio cases have declined by more than 99 per cent since 1988, when an estimated 350,000 cases were reported annually across more than 125 countries.
Today, the wild poliovirus remains endemic in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
However, the disease has not been eliminated. In recent years, outbreaks linked to circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) have been reported in several countries, particularly in Africa and parts of Asia.
In 2025, more than 180 polio cases were reported globally, including both wild poliovirus and vaccine-derived strains.
Kenya has remained free of wild poliovirus for more than a decade, but the country continues to face the risk of imported cases due to cross-border movement and gaps in vaccination coverage.
In previous years, Kenya detected circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2, prompting emergency vaccination campaigns to protect children and prevent further spread.
Health experts say the resurgence of polio in some regions is largely driven by declining vaccination coverage, conflict and insecurity in fragile regions, population displacement, and disruptions to routine immunisation programmes.
Because many infections occur without symptoms, experts warn that even a single confirmed case may signal wider hidden transmission within a community, making sustained vaccination campaigns and strong surveillance systems critical to eradication efforts.

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