Home

In the News
Polio Outbreak in China

This information is current as of today, February 23, 2012 at 03:18 EST

Updated: February 14, 2012

What Is the Current Situation?

Cases of polio have been reported in China, the country’s first cases in more than 10 years. All cases were reported in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Genetic sequencing has shown that the poliovirus strain isolated from these cases most closely resembles wild poliovirus type 1, found in Pakistan during the second half of 2010. China has declared a public health emergency. Nearly 150 health professionals have been deployed to administer five million doses of oral polio vaccine and 200,000 hospital records have been reviewed for potential polio cases. China has not seen any new cases since October 2011.

As a result of this outbreak, CDC recommends that travelers to all parts of China be up to date on the polio vaccine.

What Is Polio?

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is an infectious viral disease that can happen at any age. It affects a person's nervous system. Polio is spread by ingesting items contaminated with the feces of an infected person. Polio can also be spread through oral fluids, water, and uncooked food. The disease mainly affects children less than 5 years old, but unvaccinated people of any age are at risk. Signs and symptoms of severe illness may include paralysis of limbs and respiratory muscles; however, most infected people have no symptoms.

How Can Travelers Protect Themselves?

Travelers should take the following steps to protect themselves from polio:

Get vaccinated for polio

Talk to your doctor to find out if you are up to date with your polio vaccination and whether you need a booster dose before traveling.
Even if you were vaccinated as a child or have been sick with polio before, you may need a booster shot to make sure that you are protected. If you are traveling with children, be sure that they have been appropriately vaccinated, too.

Follow safe food and water practices

Eat foods that are fully cooked and served hot.
Eat and drink dairy products that have been pasteurized.
Eat only fruits and vegetables that you can wash with safe water and peel yourself.
Drink only bottled or boiled water or beverages that have been bottled and sealed (carbonated drinks or sports drinks). Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice.

Practice good hand hygiene

Wash hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, you can use an alcohol-based hand gel.
Wash hands especially before eating, drinking or preparing food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and coughing or sneezing.

Clinician Information:

Vaccine Recommendations: Infants and Children

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all infants and children in the United States receive 4 doses of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), administered at 2 months, 4 months, 6–18 months, and 4–6 years of age.
If accelerated protection is needed, the minimum interval between the first 3 doses is 4 weeks (28 days), and the minimum interval from dose 3 to dose 4 is 6 months.
A dose of IPV should be administered at age ≥4 years regardless of the number of previous doses.

Vaccine Recommendations: Adults

Travelers who have received the complete series with either IPV or oral polio vaccine (OPV) as a child without an adult booster dose (either OPV or IPV) should receive another dose of IPV before departure
Available data do not indicate the need for more than one lifetime IPV booster dose for adults.
Travelers of any age who are unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or whose vaccination status is unknown should receive 3 doses of IPV (2 doses at 4- to 8-week intervals, followed by a third dose 6–12 months after the second dose). (See Chapter 3, Poliomyelitis, CDC Health Information for International Travel 2012, for details.)