During the last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States updated their global opinion on polio, following the step in Canada which had taken it a month earlier, in order to encourage travelers to alertness while the risk of exposure to the virus increases in several countries. As popular destinations on several continents bring in cases, the agency invites Americans to ensure that their vaccination against polio is up to date before any international trip.
In its most recent opinion, the CDC allocated to Polio a level of alert 2, indicating that travelers must “take increased precautions”. Among the 39 destinations targeted are in particular Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Finland, Poland, Indonesia, Egypt and Kenya.
Canada has updated its own Polio travel notice on July 2.
“Above all, traveling abroad, make sure your polio vaccination is up to date,” said the CDC. The agency also recommends that adults who have already received the complete series of vaccines to consider a unique dose of recall, for life, before going to one of the countries concerned.
Even if it does not often make the front page (after being practically eradicated in Canada and the United States thanks to mass vaccination), polio remains a serious health threat. The virus attacks the nervous system and can cause muscle weakness, even permanent paralysis. Most infected people do not feel very sick; Symptoms are often mild and may include fever, fatigue, nausea, headache, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, as well as stiff or pain on the neck, back, arms or legs.
However, the consequences can be serious. The CDC warns that polio “can be fatal if the muscles used to breathe are paralyzed or in case of brain infection”. As the virus is excreted in the stools of infected people, it is mainly transmitted by bad hygiene practices – in particular insufficient hand washing after having gone to the toilet – or by the ingestion of water or food contaminated by faeces.
To protect itself, the CDC recommends, in addition to up -to -date vaccination, frequent hand washing with water and soap, as well as the exclusive consumption of safe and unused drinks and unused during stays abroad.
Written by Bert Archer