The CDC has updated its global polio travel notice, urging international travelers to review their vaccination status ahead of trips beginning in April 2026 and beyond. The updated guidance, issued in early March 2026, covers 32 countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia where poliovirus has been detected in recent months.
The advisory is categorized as a Level 2 notice, which encourages travelers to take enhanced precautions rather than avoid travel to the affected countries altogether. Even so, the update places renewed emphasis on ensuring travelers are current on routine immunizations before departure, particularly for anyone heading to one of the 32 destinations on the current list.
According to the CDC, all travelers should be up to date with the standard childhood inactivated polio vaccine schedule before leaving the United States, regardless of destination. For adults who completed a childhood polio vaccine series but have not yet received an adult booster, the current guidance allows for a single lifetime booster dose if they are traveling to one of the countries with documented poliovirus circulation.
The notice also flags that individual countries may enforce their own entry or exit requirements tied to polio vaccination status. Some nations, following World Health Organization recommendations, may require documentation of a polio vaccine dose administered between four weeks and twelve months before international departure, particularly for residents or long-term visitors leaving polio-affected areas. Short-stay tourists are less likely to face such checks, but travelers planning extended visits or overland journeys between affected countries may be asked to show proof of vaccination.
The CDC's technical guidance, including its 2026 Yellow Book, reiterates that infants and children should receive the full four-dose inactivated polio vaccine series on schedule whenever possible ahead of international travel. For adolescents and adults with incomplete or uncertain vaccination histories, clinicians are advised to start or complete an IPV series before travel to any destination with poliovirus circulation, ideally beginning at least four weeks before departure.
What this means for you
If your travel plans include any of the 32 countries currently listed on the CDC's global polio notice, it is worth reviewing your vaccination history before you go, particularly if you cannot confirm you have completed a full childhood IPV series or received an adult booster. Adults who qualify for the one-time lifetime booster should consider getting it ahead of travel to an affected destination, especially if their trip involves an extended stay or overland travel between multiple countries.
Schedule a visit with your healthcare provider or a travel health clinic several weeks before departure, since an unvaccinated adult heading to a higher-risk country may need to start a primary three-dose IPV series, with the first dose given at least four weeks before travel. Bring your immunization records with you if you are staying long-term or crossing land borders, since some countries may request proof of a recent dose.
Because the list of affected countries can change as poliovirus circulation patterns shift, check the CDC's Travelers' Health portal close to your departure date rather than relying on information from earlier in the year.