Polio risks for UK travellers

Recent updates from the World Health Organization (WHO) point to some serious risks for travellers, especially when it comes to polio.

Wild polio virus (WPV1) has been found in Afghanistan (Jan 27, 2025) and Pakistan (Jan 30, 2025), while vaccine-derived polio (cVDPV1) was detected in Mozambique (May 17, 2024) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Sept 19, 2024). There have also been cases of cVDPV3 in French Guiana (Aug 6, 2024) and Guinea (Nov 21, 2024).

Travel Recommendations:

For anyone travelling to one of these countries where there is a risk of infection:

• For anyone staying long-term (over 4 weeks), get the IPV vaccine at least 4 weeks and up to 12 months before travelling.

• For last-minute travellers (within 4 weeks), if you haven’t had a dose in the last 4 weeks to 12 months, you should get vaccinated before you leave. This is especially important for frequent travellers.

• When you get vaccinated, make sure you get a document to show proof of your polio vaccination.

If you are planning a trip abroad you should always follow the latest foreign travel advice for travellers from the UK Government: Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK

While the UK, Finland, Poland and Germany are considered to have a 'second-level risk', it’s still important to keep vaccinations up to date when travelling to these areas.

Polio Updates in the UK:

In the UK, sewage tests from November 2024 found vaccine-derived polio (cVDPV2) in samples from East Worthing (West Sussex), Leeds (Knostrop), London (Beckton), and London (Crossness).

Further tests in December found VDPV2 in London Beckton, and in January 2025, another sample tested positive at Shoreham STW, although subsequent tests came back negative. Other sites that had tested positive earlier are now negative.

The VDPV2 found in the UK is genetically linked to strains circulating in a number of African countries, but it’s not connected to any previous polio cases in the UK.

What Does This Mean for You?

Right now, there’s no evidence of polio spreading in the community in the UK, and the risk to the public is low. However, these vaccine-derived viruses can still spread, especially in areas where people aren’t fully vaccinated.

In rare cases, they can cause paralysis in people who haven’t had their vaccinations. This is a good reminder for everyone to make sure they’re up to date on their polio shots, especially for children who may have missed a dose.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is staying on top of the situation and working with local and regional partners to investigate and respond.

For more detail see: Environmental surveillance for polio - GOV.UK