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Updated: March 6, 2009

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) recommends that travellers get vaccinated against polio (poliomyelitis) when going to countries where there is a risk of infection .This includes Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and Nigeria, among others.

Polio has been eliminated from most countries, however, it continues to occur in some areas of the world.

Polio is contagious disease. It can be prevented by vaccination.

Can take 3 to 35 days to appear
Most people have no symptoms when they are infected
Some people develop mild symptoms including fever, sore throat, muscle aches and pains, drowsiness, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or constipation.
In more severe cases, the disease affects the spinal cord or the brain causing paralysis. Polio can be fatal.

Mainly fecal-oral transmission.
Polio is spread through close personal contact with secretions (fluids) from an infected person’s nose and throat, for example, when they sneeze or cough.
It can also be spread by eating food or drinking water contaminated through poor personal hygiene, poor sanitation, or poor control of sewage.

Polio continues to occur (endemic) in four countries: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria
There have been confirmed cases of wild polio in 2008-2009 in the following countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Sudan, Togo and Uganda.
For up-to-date information on countries reporting polio, visit the website of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative .

Get Vaccinated
1. All travellers need to get vaccinated if they are going to:
  - Countries where polio is endemic
  - Countries with recently imported cases of polio
  - Countries that are close to those where polio is endemic, or those where recent cases have been reported.
2. For infants and children under 18 years of age:
3. For adults 18 years of age and older:
  - If you have completed your polio vaccine series and have not received a booster dose against polio since your 18th birthday:
    - Get a one-time booster dose before leaving
  - If you have not completed your polio vaccine series:
    - Get the remaining doses before leaving.
  - If you have not received any vaccines against polio:
    - Get fully vaccinated against polio
Practice safe food and water precautions
- Boil it, cook it, peel it or leave it!
- Always wash your hands before eating and drinking.
- Eat only food that has been well cooked and is still hot when served. Avoid uncooked foods, especially shellfish and salads.
- Drink and use ice from only purified water that has been boiled or disinfected with chlorine or iodine, or commercially bottled water in sealed containers. Carbonated drinks, including beer, are usually safe.
- Avoid unpasteurized dairy products.
- Avoid food from street vendors.
- Avoid swimming in polluted or contaminated water.
- Brush your teeth with purified or bottled water

Consult a doctor, nurse or health care provider or visit a travel health clinic at least six weeks before you travel.
What to do if you get sick when you are travelling.
What to do if you get sick after you return to Canada.
now what vaccines you need and when to get them.

Committee to Advise on Tropical Medicine and Travel (CATMAT) - Poliomyelitis Vaccination for International Travellers