Polio in the USA (New York State) - update 1
20 Sep 2022
Following a case of polio identified in July 2020, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) have advised there is evidence that the USA has polio virus circulating in the community.
Ongoing surveillance (testing of sewage) has detected polio virus in wastewater samples collected from Rockland County, Orange County, Sullivan County, Nassau County and New York City.
Advice for Travellers
Polio is a serious infection caused by the poliovirus. The virus lives in an infected person’s throat and intestines. It enters the body through the mouth and spreads through:
- contact with the poo from an infected person
- droplets from a cough or sneeze from an infected person, this is less common
You can become infected if you:
- have an infected person's poo on your hands and you touch your mouth
- put objects in your mouth that are contaminated with the infected poo
- consume food and/or water that has been contaminated with the poo from an infected person
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 USA country page and Poliomyelitis page.