CDC Warns Travelers: Polio Detected in Germany and UK

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new warnings for Americans heading to Europe. The agency updated its travel advisories for 29 nations. This list includes Germany and the United Kingdom. Officials say travelers must practice enhanced precautions in these areas.

International destinations currently have circulating poliovirus. The CDC stated this list covers countries that found the virus in humans or environmental samples within the past 13 months. Polio is a highly infectious disease. It spreads through airborne droplets and feces while attacking the nervous system. Most people carry the virus silently for most of their lives. Severe cases can lead to muscle weakness, stiffness, spasms, trouble swallowing, and full-body paralysis. The virus can also paralyze lungs and breathing muscles, leading to death.

Germany has detected polio in wastewater samples at several locations. These sites include Munich, Mainz, Frankfurt, and Cologne. Wild poliovirus appeared in a wastewater sample from Hamburg in October 2025. Analysis showed it was similar to a strain circulating in Afghanistan. The UK also found polio in wastewater samples in London earlier this year.

The full list of countries under the advisory includes Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Germany, Israel, Laos, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, United Kingdom, Yemen and Zambia. The CDC did not specify how many human cases had been recorded in any of these nations.

Polio was eradicated from the US in 1979. This happened just over two decades after the advent of the polio vaccine. Only sporadic cases have popped up on American soil since then. The polio vaccine is part of routine childhood vaccinations in both Germany and the UK. It is less common in many African nations. The vaccine contains an inactivated version of poliovirus and is 99 to 100 percent effective. In the US, it is administered as a four-dose series for children at two months, four months, six to 18 months and four to six years. The complete series protects individuals for life.

Latest CDC data shows 92.5 percent of children in the US have had at least three doses of the polio vaccine. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative launched in 1988 has decreased worldwide polio cases by 99 percent. These shots have prevented 20 million cases of paralysis in children.

The advisory urges Americans to stay up to date on polio vaccines. Officials suggest travelers consider getting a lifetime booster and completing the full vaccine series. The agency also recommended frequent hand washing to prevent spread. The poliovirus targets nerve cells in the spinal cord and brainstem. People carrying it can spread the virus through droplets from sneezing or coughing and feces. About nine in ten people with polio do not develop symptoms. Around five percent report mild flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, nausea and vomiting.

This condition is known as abortive polio. Roughly one percent of those infected develop the nonparalytic form. It brings on severe flu-like symptoms along with stiffness in the neck and spine. Reflexes drop while muscle weakness sets in. This milder version can still turn into paralytic polio, which is far more dangerous. The shift triggers intense pain and extreme sensitivity to even a light touch. Patients report tingling sensations that run through their limbs. Muscle spasms or twitching become common before paralysis strikes. Paralytic polio does not care which limb it targets next. It could hit any organ system in the body. If the virus spreads to the lungs, deadly breathing issues follow quickly. The muscles required for respiration may go numb and stop working. An infection of the brain also poses a lethal threat. The CDC issued a clear warning on this matter. They stated that polio can kill if breathing muscles fail or if the brain becomes infected. The last confirmed case in the United States happened in 2022. It involved an unvaccinated adult living in Rockland County, New York. That area sits just outside of New York City. Authorities never identified this specific individual by name. The patient reported a high fever at the start of their illness. They also suffered from a stiff neck and severe constipation. Back pain and abdominal pain completed the list of symptoms they endured.