Polio in French Guiana

16 Dec 2024

On 6 November 2024, the World Health Organization reported poliovirus (polio) has been detected in French Guiana.

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 poo on your hands and you touch your mouth
• put objects in your mouth that are contaminated with the infected poo
• consume food and water that has been contaminated with the poo from an infected person

It is important to:

• be up to date with polio vaccinations as recommended for the UK vaccination schedule
• practice safe hand hygiene and food and water precautions during travel to reduce your risk of exposure to polio

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.

If you are visiting this country for longer than 4 weeks, you may be advised to have a booster dose of a polio-containing vaccine if you have not had one in the past 12 months.

• You should carry proof of having had this vaccination.
• Please speak to a travel health professional to discuss.

For further information see the fitfortravel French Guiana country page and Poliomyelitis page.