What is it?
Polio is a contagious disease caused by a virus. There are three types of the polio virus. The virus is found, among other places, in the faeces of infected people. The disease occurs in only a few countries in the world, and in principle not in the Netherlands. The virus can cause paralysis and encephalitis or meningitis. Polio can be fatal. In most people the infection runs its course without any symptoms.
Symptoms may include:
- flu-like illness
- headache
- muscle pain
- vomiting
How do you catch it?
Anyone can catch polio. The virus is transmissible from person to person. You can catch the virus if a person infected with the polio virus talks to you, if you come into contact with the faeces of an infected person, or through food and/or drinking water contaminated with faeces. The time between infection and the appearance of symptoms is usually one to two weeks, extending to as much as a month.
How do you prevent it?
You can reduce the risk of infection with the virus that causes polio by washing your hands well. You can prevent infection through vaccination. Anyone who has never been vaccinated against this disease is advised to do so. The vaccination against polio is the DTP vaccination, a single vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus and polio. The vaccination is part of the Dutch National Immunisation Programme. A booster vaccination is needed if you are travelling to a country where polio occurs and it is more than 10 years since your last vaccination. You should receive a DTP vaccination at least three days before your departure, and it protects you for up to 10 years.
In addition to the conditions at your destination, your personal circumstances and travel plans are decisive factors in the preparations you may want or need to make before you travel. You can come to us for expert travel-health advice and the above-mentioned vaccination. We keep the vaccine in stock.
The above description is only a general, brief and simple account and is intended purely for information. No rights can be derived from it. Personal advice is given exclusively during a consultation with a specially trained Certified Travel Medicine Doctor or Travel Medicine Assistant.