Polio in Guinea-Bissau

02 Nov 2021

On 26 October 2021, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported 3 cases of polio in Guinea-Bissau; 2 in the capital city of Bissau and 1 in the neighbouring region of Biombo. These are the first cases in the country and have been linked to the ongoing polio outbreak in Nigeria.

Advice for Travellers

Poliomyelitis is spread mainly through person to person contact via the faecal-oral route and by consuming contaminated food and water.

• You should consider having a booster dose of polio vaccine if it has been more than 10 years since your last booster and you are travelling to a country where polio remains a problem.

For further information see the fitfortravel Guinea-Bissau country page and Poliomyelitis page.