The agency is advising people to make sure they’re up to date on their polio vaccines, adding that people who plan to travel to the listed countries are eligible for a single-dose booster of the vaccine.
Countries impacted:
The full list of countries where polio is spreading includes Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Finland, Gaza, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Israel, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
The UK is considered polio-free, with no cases of wild poliovirus contracted in the country since 1984. While vaccine-derived poliovirus was detected in London sewage in 2022, no cases of paralysis were reported. The overall risk to the public is extremely low, primarily due to high vaccination coverage.
Key details:
Last Case: 1984 (wild polio).
2022 Incident: Vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV2) was found in North and East London sewage, indicating some spread, but no paralytic cases were reported.
Vaccination Status: The inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) is used, with high uptake (above 92% outside London).
Risk Level: Extremely low for the general public, as of 2026.
Polio, once a major cause of paralysis in the U.S., was eliminated in 1979 due to widespread vaccination. While wild-type transmission is eradicated, a case of paralytic polio was identified in New York in 2022, and wastewater surveillance has shown ongoing community transmission in certain regions. Vaccination remains the primary protection against the disease.
Key Points on Polio in the US
Current Situation (2022-2026): A case of paralytic polio (Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Type 2, or VDPV2) was confirmed in Rockland County, NY, in June 2022. Following this, wastewater monitoring has detected the virus in New York as recently as late 2024, indicating continued, though localized, transmission.
Yes, there are reasons to question CDC, having changes in personnel and funding. But the “do your own research” people are the ones who put many of those countries on the list - the vaccine fearing people who do not have the actual skills to conduct quality research.
The guidance came from an official source the US CDC and listed the UK as a country that needed extra precautions. Doing some research, fact finding and verifying revealed that the reality is there hadn’t been a case > 40 years. To dismiss the CDC as an organisation run by people who are without skills and anti-vaccine is without foundation, some research would confirm this.
Polio can be catastrophic, and younger generations might not realize that, unfortunately.
The longest-lived patient died only in 2024, after decades in an iron lung machine, trapped, because patients often can’t breath on their own and end up paralyzed for life, even if they survive.
In the case of the patient below, I remember reading that even keeping his iron lung machine functioning was a challenge, because they don’t make them any more. He had to get help scavenging and repurposing parts, with folks continually jerry-rigging the machine just to keep him alive.
i think the warning from the CDC is alarmist and doesn’t accurately reflect the situation, at least in the European countries mentioned in the article. Polio is not spreading in Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain or the UK. It is factually incorrect to claim that it is.
Here are years of the last recorded cases in 4 European countries.
Finland 1985
Germany 1990
Poland 1984
Spain 1988
The most recent case was 36 years ago, does anyone think that indicates the virus is spreading?
I have visited many of the other countries listed and frankly Polio would be a long way down my list of risks.
Certainly everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I neither endorsed the information nor advocated for a particular action — but the statement was put out by the CDC and for that reason, I think worth sharing to do with as you will.
Personally, I don’t feel a polio booster is a great leap to take in order to enhance my comfort & safety, and will be scheduling mine before I travel.
