Polio Vaccine for International Travelers

Polio is a contagious disease spread amongst the population through contaminated water and food. The polio virus attacks the central nervous system, where it works rapidly to cause paralysis, and may sometimes cause death.

Though the spread of the virus is mainly through poor hygiene and sanitation, it can also be passed from one person to another through close personal contact such as coughs and sneezes.

The symptoms of this deadly virus may take between three and thirty five days to manifest. Some of its mild symptoms include sore throat, fatigue, nausea, stiffness of the muscles and the neck, fever, and vomiting.

About the polio vaccine

Through the polio vaccine, Canada has been polio free for the last two decades. The vaccine is among the routine vaccination scheduled for children in the country, and it is normally administered alongside the other vaccinations for children.

If you are planning to travel abroad, especially to regions known to be polio endemic, it is highly recommended that you go for a booster shot before you travel, even if you received the full schedule as a child. This is a one-time shot that will up the protection and it is something worth considering if you are headed to destinations where polio is yet to be eradicated, or to countries neighboring those countries.

The vaccine series for unimmunized adults features two injections, with the second one being administered between four to eight weeks after the first. A third dose is then administered after six to twelve months, following the second administration. When you get a complete series of the vaccine, you will have 100% efficacy against the viral attack. It implies that you will be completely safe from the virus.