Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link You are using an outdated browser. Upgrade your browser today .
Travelers' Health Search Submit Travelers' Health Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate Global Polio Level 4 - Avoid All Travel Level 3 - Reconsider Nonessential Travel Level 2 - Practice Enhanced Precautions Level 1 - Practice Usual Precautions This Travel Health Notice (THN) was originally posted on September 26, 2022, and is updated regularly based on the most current data.
Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease that affects the nervous system. The best way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated for polio, especially before travel to locations where polio outbreaks are occurring. 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). People can also be infected if they drink water or eat food contaminated with infected feces.
Most people with polio do not feel sick. Some people have only 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 infection causes permanent loss of muscle function (paralysis). Polio can be fatal if the muscles used for breathing are paralyzed or if there is an infection of the brain.
The following destinations have circulating poliovirus (see map):
Children and adults should be up to date on their routine polio vaccines .
Adult travelers may get an inactivated polio vaccine booster if they:
Ensure that anyone unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated completes the routine polio vaccine series before international travel .
Update on 9/23/2026 includes the addition of Malawi, Mali, Togo, and Zambia and the removal of Burkina Faso, Guinea, Gaza, Poland, and Senegal.