Polio: Advice for travellers

Original publication date: March 7, 2018

Updated: November 21, 2025

Key points

• Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus (listed below).
• Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by the poliovirus.
• In severe cases, polio can damage a person's nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. This can result in weakness or paralysis that can be permanent.
• Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines.
• Temporary polio recommendations issued by the World Health Organization may impact your travel.

Current situation

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers the international spread of poliovirus a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). To prevent or reduce further spread, the WHO issues temporary recommendations to countries affected by polio. These recommendations are reviewed every 3 months.

These temporary recommendations may impact your travel.

Recommendations

Before you leave

The WHO has issued temporary vaccination recommendations for the following countries with circulating wild poliovirus type 1 or circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus types 1 or 3:

• Afghanistan
• Algeria
• Cameroon
• Chad
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Djibouti
• Guinea
• Israel and Palestine
• Pakistan

The WHO recommends that these countries ensure travellers who’ve stayed longer than 4 weeks receive a dose of a polio vaccine between 1 and 12 months before leaving the country. This may apply even if you’ve already received all your routine polio vaccines in Canada.

Before travelling to one of these countries, have your health care provider record any polio vaccines you’ve received on an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis. In Canada, the certificates are provided at yellow fever vaccination centres. Carry the certificate as proof of vaccination with you when you travel.

Make sure that any polio vaccine you get while you’re abroad is also recorded on your certificate.

International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis

The following countries have reported circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2, with or without evidence of local transmission:

• Algeria
• Angola
• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Côte d'Ivoire
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Djibouti
• Ethiopia
• Finland
• Germany
• Ghana
• Israel and Palestine
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Papua New Guinea
• Poland
• Senegal
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Spain
• Sudan
• Tanzania
• United Kingdom
• Yemen

Before travelling to any destination, including the ones above, be sure your routine polio vaccinations are up to date.

Talk to a health care provider or visit a travel health clinic preferably about 6 weeks before your departure date to get personalized health advice. Even if your travel date is coming up soon, it’s still worthwhile to make an appointment.

Discuss:

• which pre-travel vaccines or medications may be right for you
• whether your routine vaccinations, including polio, are up-to-date
  • Polio is part of the routine immunization schedule for children in Canada
  • One booster dose of the polio vaccine is recommended as an adult

Routine childhood immunization schedule
Provincial and Territorial Immunization Information

Before travelling, sign up with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service to stay connected with the Government of Canada in case of an emergency abroad or an emergency at home.

Register as a Canadian Abroad

While you’re away

• Only eat foods that are well cooked and served hot.
• Drink water that has been boiled, disinfected or is in a commercially sealed bottle.
• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol for 20 seconds or until dry.

Eat and drink safely abroad
Clean your hands to help reduce the spread of infectious diseases

After your return

Contact a health care provider right away if you or your child:

• have been in contact with someone who has polio
• have any polio symptoms after travelling to a country where polio is still present

If you become sick or injured while travelling outside Canada or after your return

Learn more:

Statement of the forty-third meeting of the Polio IHR Emergency Committee

About polio

• Polio (poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious disease that can spread easily from person to person, mainly through eating or drinking food and water contaminated with feces.
• Most people infected with the poliovirus don’t have any symptoms. If symptoms do appear, at first they may include:
  • fever
  • sore throat
  • headache
  • abdominal pain
  • nausea and vomiting
  • tiredness
  • loss of appetite
  • aching muscles
  • stiff neck or back
• Symptoms usually last between 2 and 10 days and go away on their own. 
• In rare cases, polio can damage the nervous system (which includes the brain and spinal cord), causing weakness or paralysis (not being able to move part or all of the body). This damage can be permanent

Learn more:

Polio: Symptoms and treatment

Information for health professionals

• Statement on poliovirus and the international traveller – CATMAT
  
• Statements and publications –  CATMAT
  
• Polio: For health professionals – Canada.ca