CDC STACKS serves as an archival repository of CDC-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other public health information authored or co-authored by CDC or funded partners.
As a repository, CDC STACKS retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
i
Guidance to US clinicians regarding new WHO polio vaccination requirements for travel by residents of and long-term visitors to countries with active polio transmission
-
06/02/2014
-
Series: HAN ; 362
Details:
-
Corporate Authors:
-
Description:June 2, 2014, 16:00 (4:00 PM ET)
CDCHAN-00362
On 5 May 2014, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) accepted the recommendations of an Emergency Committee, declaring the international spread of polio to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the authority of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) and issued vaccination requirements for travelers in order to prevent further spread of the disease. IHR is an international agreement among countries to prevent, protect or control the international spread of disease. All countries have agreed to be bound by recommended activities under IHR.
The “temporary recommendations” in response to this PHEIC, the second ever to be issued under IHR, will be reviewed and possibly revised by WHO’s Emergency Committee in three months. The burden for enforcement of the polio vaccination requirements under this PHEIC declaration lies with polio-affected countries (termed “polio-infected” by WHO). A t this time, the United States government is not expected to implement requirements for entry into the United States.
U.S. clinicians should be aware of possible new vaccination requirements for patients planning travel for greater than four weeks to countries with ongoing poliovirus transmission. The May 5 WHO statement names 10 such countries, three designated as “exporting wild poliovirus” (Cameroon, Pakistan and Syria [Syrian Arab Republic]) that should “ensure” recent (4 to 52 weeks before travel) polio boosters among all departing residents and long-term travelers (o f more than 4 weeks), and an additional seven countries “infected with wild poliovirus” (Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Somalia and Nigeria) that should “encourage” recent polio vaccination boosters among residents and long-term travelers.
At this time, CDC is not aware of what specific steps will be taken by these 10 countries to comply with the PHEIC declaration. U.S. citizens who plan to travel to any of the polio infected countries should have documentation of a polio booster in their yellow International Certificate of Vaccination in order to avoid delays in transit.
-
Subjects:
-
Series:
-
Document Type:
-
Pages in Document:3 unnumbered pages
-
Volume:362
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type: