CDC advises US travelers on polio immunization Americans traveling to a polio-affected country should have documentation of a polio booster to avoid travel delays, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday in a Health Alert Network (HAN) advisory. The advice comes on the heels of a May 5 World Health Organization (WHO) decision to declare the international spread of polio to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the authority of the International Health Regulations. The WHO at the time issued temporary vaccination requirements for travelers. The recommendations will be reviewed and possibly revised by WHOs Emergency Committee in 3 months. The burden for enforcement of the WHOs requirements lies with polio-affected nations, the CDC said. At this time, the United States government is not expected to implement requirements for entry into the United States, the agency added. US clinicians should be aware of possible new requirements for patients planning to visit for more than 4 weeks countries with ongoing poliovirus transmission, the CDC said. The WHO guidance names 10 countries, 3—Cameroon, Pakistan, and Syria—designated as exporting wild poliovirus that should ensure polio boosters 4 to 52 weeks before travel among all departing residents and long-term visitors (of more than 4 weeks). The agency recommends that 7 countries infected with wild poliovirus —Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Somalia, and Nigeria—should encourage recent polio vaccination boosters among residents and long-term visitors. The CDC says, U.S. citizens who plan to travel to any of the polio infected countries should have documentation of a polio booster in their yellow International Certificate of Vaccination in order to avoid delays in transit. Jun 2 CDC HAN advisory Share this page: Share Tweet Email Print & PDF
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 01:22:18 +0000
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