By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

After the confirmation of a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case in a young child in Rivne Oblast, Ukraine recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel notice for Ukraine classifying it as currently considered high risk for polio.

Image/CDC-/ Meredith Boyter Newlove, M.S., James Archer, M.S.

CDC says anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series.

In addition, CDC recommends administering a single, lifetime booster dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) to adult travelers that meet all three of the following conditions:

  • Are going to destinations considered high risk for polio
  • Have previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series
  • Have not already received an adult booster dose

Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease that affects the nervous system. Good hand washing practices can help prevent the spread of this disease. Because the virus lives in the feces of an infected person, people infected with the disease can spread it to others when they do not wash their hands well after defecating. People can also be infected if they drink water or eat food contaminated with infected feces.

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Most people with polio do not feel sick. Some people have only minor symptoms, such as fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, stiffness in the neck and back, and pain in the arms and legs. In rare cases, polio infection causes permanent loss of muscle function (paralysis). Polio can be fatal if the muscles used for breathing are paralyzed or if there is an infection of the brain.